What Are We?
by StarryEyedButterfly
Summary: When Star left Earth, some things were left unsaid. She admitted the feelings she had for Marco, knowing that he may not feel the same way. Now, they are reunited, and Marco is staying on Mewni with Star for the summer. Will things between them stay awkward, or will they slowly start to become closer? When a dark force threatens Mewni, their relationship will be put to the test.
1. Confrontation

Things were awkward between them now.

She had a crush on him. She was in love with him and wanted to be his. It sounded innocent enough, but there was one small problem. He had a girlfriend whom he was in love with. He didn't see her as anything more than just a friend.

 _Just a friend._

The words rung in her ears, and created a pang in her chest. Why did that hurt so much? It was normal. They were just friends that fought monsters together. He was from earth, she from Mewni. They happened to meet from faith. It was normal for him to feel like this, but was it normal for her to be crushing?

Star Butterfly fell hard for him, and she didn't even mean to. It just sorta happened, like how she just sort of happened to end up on earth. It was spontaneous, random. He probably didn't even feel the same way towards her. She was just his weird princess friend from another dimension. On the other hand, he fell for Jackie, and has always wanted to get to know her since kindergarten. She helped that dream come true, and she started to regret it.

She sat on the rooftop of the Butterfly castle. The air was chilly as it ran over her fair skin. It was a cold, Mewman summer night. The kingdom's three moons shone brightly in the sky, glimmering over the rooftops of the houses below. She liked it here. It allowed her to think. Think about what she just admitted to him. They haven't talked about this since she left suddenly from Earth.

"Star? Where are you," a male voice said. She recognized that voice from anywhere. It was her crush, of course. Not Oskar Greason, but someone closer. He had been staying with them since he had left Earth to find her. Her parents had gave him his own room and everything, and she had enjoyed it a lot. She liked being able to show him her home for once.

Marco Diaz was looking at her from the window. "Um, a little help please?"

The princess giggled at him, grinning softly. She got up and offered a hand, which the boy took hesitantly. They were a few hundred feet off the ground, and he being the safe kid and all, was afraid of heights.

He scooted next to the princess, and looked over her form before shifting his view to the kingdom.

"Wow, it's beautiful."

"Yeah, it is I guess."

That didn't sound like the hyperactive Star he knew. He could hear the melancholy in her voice. "You alright, Star? You haven't been yourself since... you know."

"I'm fine," she said with a soft grin.

Marco looked at her skeptically. "I know something's bugging you. Is it because of..."

"-Yeah." Star looked down and twiddled her thumbs.

It became silent between the two teens. Things have been awkward ever since the incident. They haven't been spending as much time together, and have practically been avoiding each other.

Marco sighed, and looked over at her. "So uh... you have a crush on...me?"

The words rung in his head, bouncing off the casing of his skull. His bestie liked him as more than a friend? He didn't know what to think. He didn't know what to feel. It was so alien to him. He and Jackie were a thing... or at least he thought. He didn't know if they were even together anymore. She didn't take the fact that he was staying with Star too well. There was no cell service between dimensions, and she didn't have a magical mirror like Star did when she was staying with him. He just assumed they were broken up, which made him feel like the hugest jerk. He just wanted to make sure his bestie was going to be alright, since there was crisis going on in her home dimension.

Star turned away from him, hiding the blush on her face. Marco looked to his side awkwardly. He didn't know what to say to that. He had to recollect his thoughts, but all that would come out was, "Uhhhhh..."

"I know you don't feel the same way, Marco. It's fine. Really. I just want you to be happy with Jackie. You can go back to Earth if you want. I can handle myself." She turned to offer a reassuring smile.

The princess flinched as she felt a gentle touch on her shoulder.

"Um, Star? I didn't get a say in any of this either." Marco looked at her, blushing madly.

Her eyes widen as she looked at her best friend. "Whaaa? What do you mean?"

"I mean, I didn't get any say on what I feel about you."

Star blinked, a blank stare painting her face. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she waited for what he had to say. She just assumed that he didn't feel anything for her and that he just wanted to stay friends, nothing more.

"Star? Look... you are an amazing person... or... Mewman. When you left without any explanation, I was so upset you had no idea. I could even bring myself to get out of bed, because I didn't have you by my side. You pushed me to do things I wouldn't even dream of doing before you came into my life: going after bad guys, kicking monster butt... asking out Jackie Lynn Thomas. You gave my life so much meaning, Star. I am so grateful to have you."

"Awww, Marco," Star said, a goofy smile on her face. "That was so sweet, I could just..."

"Just what?"

"Nothing... nothing at all." She waved her hand reassuringly.

The two teens went back to being silent, overlooking the kingdom. Their minds were racing at a thousand miles a minute.

"Marco?..." Star finally piped up.

"Yes, Star?"

"What... are we?"

Marco cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what are we? Are we friends? Or... look, Marco. What do you feel about me? Do you like me or not?"

Marco was caught off guard by her sudden adamancy. He stammered and started to blush again.

"I... I don't know. I mean, Jackie didn't take me coming to Mewni with you too well. She thought it would be better if we just took a break... as in break up. She thinks I'm in love with you or something. I guess we are a little close to be just friends."

"Yeah..." Star sighed. "I feel awful, Marco. I didn't mean for this to happen. I feel like my feelings got in the way of your relationship. Jackie's a cool gal, I was just stupid... I should have kept my stupid feelings to-"

Marco gently grabbed her hands and rubbed them, catching Star off guard. She stopped her ranting and looked in the boy's eyes.

"Shhhh... it's not your fault alright? Stop beating yourself up, please. That's my job," he chuckled. "You're the strong, independent warrior princess."

Star's check emblems glowed faintly as she giggled, the moonlight of Mewni's moons illuminated her face, giving her a strangely beautiful appearance, in contrast to her usual, childish charm. She looked attractive to him, no doubt. He never really thought about how beautiful she was before. He always felt like a parent to her when she would get into her antics, let alone a a boyfriend.

"Oh please, Marco. You're awesome," she remarked.

"No, you're even more awesome," Marco replied, smiling softly at the princess. "It's not your fault, ever. So don't think that."

"Okay," Star sighed. She still felt terrible for what she started between the three of them, but at the same time, she wanted to be his. She loved him as more than just a friend, she was sure of her feelings this time. She loved Marco Diaz.

Tears started to run out of her eyes, despite the smile on her face. "I still feel horrible... like I took you away from her. You liked her since kindergarten, and I just... fell into your life unexpectedly... and-"

Star's speech was cut short went she felt the gentle touch of a pair of lips touching hers. Marco was kissing her. He was actually kissing her.

She kissed him back passionately, she could feel the warmth of a blush appearing on her nose and cheeks. She wanted this, and craved it. Her eyes closed as she kissed him for what seemed like hours.

Star gasped as she felt him pull away from the kiss, and she opened her eyes to look at the blushing teen.

"I'm so sorry, Star! I just... it just happened! Y-you were crying and I.. I love you..." He couldn't believe he just did that.

"You love me?..." She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was this real life? Where they in another dimension? She was wishing someone would pinch her to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

He gently pulled her into a hug, and talked into her ear. "Yes, Star. I love you."

Chills were running down her spine as she heard him repeat those words. He... loved her. As in, he saw her as more than a friend. She gently hugged him back and smiled into his shoulder, shutting her eyes in pure bliss. She wanted to stay there forever.

"Marco?..."

"Yes, Star?"

"What are we?..."

He continued to hug his... he didn't even know anymore. That was a good question. He just kissed his best friend. But were they even friends anymore? Friends don't kiss. He just basically shattered their friendship by kissing her.

Marco sighed and petted her long, golden hair. "I guess you're my girlfriend now."

Star smiled as she hugged him. "I'm okay with that."


	2. Forbidden Love

Marco Diaz smiled to himself in his sleep. He loved the warm feeling of his bed, and didn't want to move from his spot. He only had one thing on his mind at the moment: Princess Star Butterfly, his newly-made girlfriend. After telling her that he loved her last night, it's like his thoughts about her had did a complete 180. She was more than the hyperactive princess that came into his life on a whim. She was this amazing girl who brought out the best in him, and he didn't want it any other way.

"Good morning, Marco," a familiar voice rang. The sleeping boy opened his heavy eyelids to see the hyperactive blonde standing above him. She had a wide, toothy smile on her face, in contrast to how she was feeling the night before. It made him happy to see her happy.

"Hey, Star," he said groggily, rubbing his eyes as he sat up in bed, "How'd you sleep? I'm so tired." He yawned and ruffed his messy cognac hair.

"I slept amazing," she said cheerily, "I couldn't stop thinking about you."

"Aw, really?" He smiled softly at the happy princess, who sat next to him. He felt the air leave his lungs as he pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. "Star! Ow..."

"Yes really! I mean you're my boyfriend now, and you're awesome, so it's only natural that I couldn't get you off my mind," Star looked up at him with huge eyes, which Marco couldn't help but smile. He pecked the princess on the lips which Star happily returned. He was a good kisser and she wanted more, but she thought it was better if they took things slow.

"I love you Marco." She felt so relieved that she could say that freely, and didn't have to hide how she really felt about her former friend.

"I love you too, Estrella."

Star looked around the room, then raised her eyebrow. "Ummm... who's Estrella?"

Marco giggled at the confused girl then smiled. "It's you, Star. Estrella is Spanish for Star."

"Ohhhhhh."

"Mhm," Marco nodded as he pressed his finger to her button nose. Star smiled and bit her lip. She then stood up and grabbed the boy's arms before pulling him up. "Let's go and eat something, I'm starving!"

"In a minute Star, let me get my ballet slippers- WOAH!" He was cut short as he felt her pull him down the spiral staircase to the dining room. Star happily slid on the railing, her rhino boots acting as a sled.

Marco face-planted at the bottom of the stairs. Star looked over and helped her new boyfriend up. "Sorry Marco." She walked him to the dining room where they both sat down at the table. Star's mother and father were already there, eating their Mewni corn.

"Good morning, Star dear, and good morning to you, Marco." Queen Moon Butterfly said, smiling at the two teens.

River had two cobs of corn in his mouth, and he swallowed them whole. He chuckled at the teens, walking over to ruffle his daughter's hair. "How's my shining Star doing, and her boyfriend Marco?"

Marco blushed and his eyes widened. "I'm not her..."

Star piped up and she tapped a spoon to her glass. "Mom, Dad, I have an announcement to make." She jumped on the table.

"Star! Not on the table." Moon gave her a stern look.

"Ahem. Marco and I are officially dating."

Moon spat out her drink. "What?!"

Marco flinched as he felt a hand ruffle his hair. "Aha! That's my boy, wooing the princess I see?"

"Uhh, yeah I guess," Marco said, smirking a little.

"River, to the hall, now," Moon said, standing up from table.

"Yes, my darling," River said as he followed his wife. He looked back and gave Marco a thumbs up and wink.

Star looked over at Marco and blinked. "Did I... say something wrong?"

The boy smiled reassuringly at the princess and pulled her over to him, pulling her head to his shoulder. "I don't think so, Star. Your dad seemed happy that we are dating. And your mom is kind of strict. I think she needs some time to warm up."

"I guess you're right."

"Don't sweat it, babe." He spooned a spoonful of corn into her mouth.

Her cheeks turned a dark pinkish color as those words rolled off her tongue. He called her 'babe'. She could hardly contain herself. She swallowed and looked at him lovingly. "Aw, Marco."

Star stood up from the table and walked to wear her parents wandered off to.

"Star? Where are you going," Marco inquired.

She didn't answer and walked over, concealing herself behind the doorway as she listened to her parents talk. She cupped her ear and listened. She assumed they were talking the fact that they were two teens... sharing a castle. What could possibly go wrong?

Marco ran over. "Star!"

She slapped a hand over his mouth and continued to listen.

"But darling. Marco seems like a fine young man. He is fit be a fine king to our daughter don't ya say," River said to his wife.

"I know River dear, we accept their relationship, but will the rest of Mewni? You know how prejudice Mewmans are to outsiders." Moon frowned at bearded man. "Marco is not royalty. Star is a native. They'll drive the both of them out of the kingdom. You saw how Song Day went, haven't you River? This is why we tried to push for her to date Tom, another royal."

"Yes dear. But Marco can teach our daughter discipline and calm her down a bit. Tom had anger issues and almost killed our daughter once. We should just let them date, don't ya say?"

"I don't want the both of them to get hurt if they do decide to wed though," Moon sighed and held her head.

River went over to his wife and patted her back. "Oh, Moon dear. We have bigger problems than worrying about the kingdom and if they'll accept their companionship. What about if they decide to have children?"

"Oh my, do we have to have "the talk" with them?"

"Annnnnd I'm out." Marco got up and walked away. "I'm going to my room. I'll be there if ya need me."

"Marco Marco Marco," Star whisper-yelled at her boyfriend and ran after him. He gently went behind him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Ugh, yes?" He tried to keep his composure but he just couldn't stay mad at her. Her hyperactive tendencies were just too cute for him to handle.

"Room, now!" She dragged him upstairs.

"That's where I was going, Star."

...

Marco sat on her bed as she watched the blonde princess pace back and forth. Her hair was frizzy from her tugging on it.

"Star, please calm down. I'm sure everything will be fine."

"But, Marco! What if we get married? They'll boo us as we exchange our vows. They'll throw us into a flaming hot pit of fire for just being in LOVE" She grabbed his hoodie and looked into his eyes, breathing heavily.

"Now, I'm sure that won't happen." He patted her head and held her shoulders. "Besides, we're only teenagers. We have a long time before we have to worry about that."

"Ugh, Marco! Why aren't you listening to me?" She pulled her cheeks and rolled her eyes. "It's not just that. Marco, I love you. And... my parents love you too. But they'll try to break us up because of this. Mewni wants a perfect royal family. They don't want some guy who came out of the woodworks to marry the princess, especially when they know what that princess is really like, after her Song Day was a disaster, you get what I'm saying?"

Marco was more serious now. He looked at her in concern. "Wait, really?"

"Yes, really! Were you listening to a word I was saying?" Star held his cheeks.

Marco pulled away from her and looked down. He was starting to regret his decisions now. She was this magical princess from another dimension, and he was just this nerd who she happened to stumble upon when she came to earth, and she happened to fall in love with him. What did she see in him anyway? He was putting her reputation or even life on the line by being with her.

Star winced at him, and a frown appeared on her face. "Hey big guy, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Marco, something's wrong. It's okay. You can tell me." She sat next to him and placed a hand on his lap.

Marco looked over at the princess. Her eyes were wide in concern, her pupils were glistening and she wore a worried expression. He sighed and gave in. "I just... I just feel like I'm not good enough for you."

"...Not good enough for me?"

"It's just... you're this princess, and I'm this loser. You're going to run an entire kingdom soon, and I couldn't even look my lifelong crush in the eye. Don't you get it, Star? You're way out of my league! That's why... that's why I was so reluctant to admit the feelings I had for you. So I stuck with Jackie. I mean, she's out of my league too. Every girl is..." he placed his head in his hands and groaned.

Star was shocked, she couldn't believe what he was saying. She always knew Marco was insecure, but she didn't think it was to this extent. How could he think these things when she only saw amazing things in every inch of him?

She shook his leg softly and smiled at him. "Hey hey hey, calm down alright?... You're kind, considerate, and really sweet. You make really delicious nachos, and you love puppies! You took me in when I had nowhere to go, when nobody else would. You taught me about all of this earth stuff and didn't complain once! Marco, you are... you're amazing."

Marco looked over at his girlfriend with a halfhearted smile. He still felt bad, but to hear all of that coming from her meant everything.

Star smiled at her boyfriend back. "So stop beating yourself up, alright? You're the awesome karate kid who makes super awesome nachos!"

"Heh, if you say so, Star."

"Now, are ya ticklish? Because here comes the tickle monster! Grr!"

She jumped on top of him and pinned him to her bed, tickling his armpits through his hoodie.

"Hahahahaha! Stop, please!" Marco laughed through dry heaves.

Star didn't surrender she continued to tickle his armpits and neck, laughing at the squirming boy under her.

"Star! Please hahahahaha... stop!"

She continued her assault until she felt a pair of arms grab her torso and pull her down, flipping her on her back. Marco was on top of her down, looking down at her.

"I'm gonna make you pay for that!"

She smirked up at him mischievously. "Oh yeah? How?"

He pushed her bangs out of her eyes and gently kissed her lips, shutting his eyes as he tilted her chin up so she was level with his face.

Star loved his kisses, and she kissed him back with no hesitation. She craved them more than anything. The feeling of his lips against hers was so tempting. She whined softly against his lips.

He pulled away and looked at the princess under him. She looked so innocent, and it was so adorable to him. Her eyes were wide like a deer caught in the headlights, and her hair was so long and elegant. It was so soft. He wondered how long it took to wash and blow dry that mane of hers. Her mouth was half open, and her cheek markings were glowing.

"Ugh, sorry." He stepped off of the princess and laid next to her. "Got carried away there."

She giggled and turned to face him. "It's nothing Marco. No need to apologize. I'm just happy I got to cheer you up."

"Yeah, you did with your adorable face." Marco said, rubbing the back of his head. Star smiled faintly.

"I don't care about what a bunch of Mewmans think. I'm staying with you no matter what, always and forever," the blonde said.

"Yeah Star... Heh." He wasn't so sure about this now. What did he get himself into? Then again, where there's Star Butterfly, there is trouble, so he should have known that being with her would come with a price.

She gently put her hand to his cheek and stroked it. "My sweet, sweet Marco."

He blushed and smiled at the girl in front at him. Now that he was dating her, he saw her in a completely different light. Instead of the immature, hyperactive girl that didn't respect boundaries, he saw a caring, selfless individual who tried her best to help those close to her. This was so different and he almost couldn't believe it.

He wanted to kiss her again, he learned in until their faces were inches apart, but their kissing was interrupted by a knock on the door. It opened slightly.

Star popped up her head. "Mom! Don't you know how to knock?!"

"I did knock. Anyway, the both of you come down right now. There are a few things we need to discuss."For


	3. Dreamscape

"Mom! You're being totally unfair!"

Moon Butterfly gave an understanding look at her daughter and sighed. She didn't want this to happen, but she knew it was for the best.

"I'm sorry, but it's too dangerous. Marco and you must break up immediately, before you two become too close."

Star crossed her arms and gritted her teeth. She couldn't believe this was happened. Her life seemed to be going great: Toffee was defeated, her wand was no longer broken, she was dating the guy of her dreams, but now her mother wanted to separate them due to the rules of Mewni. She was the rebel princess, no matter what her mother said she would never leave him. She didn't care one bit.

"MOM! I love Marco, and I'm not going to leave him because of what some stupid Mewmans think!"

"It's more than that."

"Oh yeah, if it's more than that, then tell me! Huh, or are you too afraid?!"

"Star..."

"Like how you were too afraid to destroy Toffee yourself! Huh?! Right! You're a coward!"

"Star."

"You always run away from your problems!"

Moon's eyes wore a look of sadness, then it turned into anger. She stood up and shut her eyes. "This discussion is over, Star."

Star realized what she just said and put her hands over her mouth. "Mommy, I'm sorry I didn't mean to-"

"Marco is going back to Earth. That is final. Mewni is too dangerous for an Earthling such as him." Moon ignored her and walked out of her room, shutting the door quietly behind her.

The princess grabbed a pillow off of her bed and screamed into it. She was livid. Just as her life was turning around this had to happen.

She heard a knock at the door.

"...Come in."

It was her boyfriend, former best friend Marco Diaz. He had a hand on the back of his head and a soft nervous smile on her face.

"Uh. Is it a bad time?"

Star smiled at the boy and patted a spot for him to sit down, which he happily accepted. He sat next to the princess.

"Oh, Marco. It's a terrible time."

Marco noticed a few strands of her hair were sticking up, and he gently removed her devil horn headband before putting it back on and stroking her golden locks.

"What's going on," Marco said, shushing her as she let out an annoyed sigh.

"Mom! Ugh... she's being a Mewman beaver!"

"Uh... I don't know what that means."

"She's being a jerk, Marco!" She sat up and crossed her arms again, pouting. "She wants us to break up because it's 'SOOOOO dangerous' for us to be together, but she won't even tell me why! It's stupid."

Marco looked at the girl confused. He blinked as he watched her get up from her spot on the bed next to him and punch a hole straight through her wall. He ran over and grabbed her arms softly. "Hey, Star? Calm down. I'm sure we can talk her out of this."

Star looked at him, then quickly grasped her now red, bruised hand. She may have punched the wall a little too hard. "I think I broke my hand."

"Want me to kiss it better?"

"Nah, it's fine." Tears were seeping out of her tear ducts now and running over her cheeks.

"Marco?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't... want to lose you again."

He looked at her sadly and pulled her into a hug, which triggered the princess to cry harder. He stroked her hair and put his chin on her head.

"I don't want to lose you again either, Star." He started to tear up as well as he felt her arms grasp him tighter. "Please don't cry, we'll figure something out."

"I hope so..." Star gently loosened her grasp on him and stepped away, going back to flop down on her bed. "everything is falling apart again..."

Marco sighed and looked over at her. "I'll be okay. No matter the circumstances, you always come through. You're amazing."

"Thanks, Marco." She turned her head and smiled at the boy before using a finger to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Heh. It's getting late, I'm going to head to bed." Marco smiled back and turned to talk towards the door.

"Wait!"

"Yeah, Star?"

She blushed. "C-Can you sleep in here... with me tonight?"

Marco rubbed his head. "I don't think that's a good idea Star, especially when your mother doesn't want us dating. Look, I'll see you in the morning alright? I love you."

Star sighed and tucked her hands under her pillow, softly laying her head down. He was right. Her mother would probably be even more strict, not letting them see each other at all anymore. "Fine... I love you too, Marco."

"See you in the morning, princess." He blew a kiss before shutting the door quietly on her.

Star smiled and cupped her hands, catching the "kiss" and softly putting her hand to her cheek. She sighed happily. He made her heart flutter every time he was around. No other guy was able to do that to her. She loved him more than words could describe.

She looked over at her wand on the nightstand. The crystal was no longer cleaved, and it was decorated with little horns, which mimicked her favorite headband that she always wore. She reached over and grabbed it by the handle, looking at it closely. Maybe there was some sort of spell that she could do to make her parents change her mind... but there weren't any mind control spells that she knew of, and there was nobody that could teach her, considering that Glossaryk was still missing and the book was gone too.

She sighed and waved the wand, quickly changing into her night gown before laying herself down to sleep. She pulled her fluffy sheets over her body and yawned before using the wand to shut the lights off. She closed her eyes and in the blink of an eye she was asleep. She was more tired than she originally thought.

All of a sudden, her cheeks felt warm, this was different than the usual warmth that she felt when she blushed, it was more like the hotness she felt whenever she dipped down. She could feel her cheeks glowing, but she was asleep. It was like she left her body or something.

"What's, what's going on," Star said in confusion. She wasn't in her room anymore. It was pitch black, and she couldn't see anything. Her pupils got bigger to adjust to the new lighting.

She noticed she was holding her wand, and she held it in front of her, using it as a flashlight. She walked forward, but it felt as if her feet weren't touching the ground. It was also pitch black, like a void.

"Where am I," Star said to herself. She looked around, but all she could see was black. Her voice bounced off the walls like an echo chamber.

Then it hit her.

"Ohh.." Star said, coming to a realization, "This must be my mind... I'm in my dream."

She thought for a minute. "Heh. This is my head. Cool."

"Star?" A voice was behind her.

The princess turned her head to see Marco standing behind her.

"Marco!" Relieved, she ran over to the boy and hugged him tightly, squeezing him. Marco gently patted her back and looked around.

"Where... are we?"

The blonde looked at him skeptically. "So you... aren't a part of my imagination?"

"No? I'm me... I think" Marco touched his face and looked at his feet, then back at Star. "Yeah, I'm me."

"We're inside my head," Star said, ignoring his last phrase.

Marco looked at her, then around at darkness. "This is your head?"

"Pretty much."

He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Staaaaaar? What did you do?!"

"I don't know! It just uh... sort of happened when I went to bed. You must be dreaming too. You just went to bed a half an hour ago."

Marco looked around in fear. "Oh no. What if we're trapped in here forever?! Nobody will know where we are. They'll just forget about us, and we'll waste away into-"

Star gently pressed her lips against his, quieting is rant. He blushed, eyes wide as she kissed him.

The scenery changed. It was now a pale pinkish color, the sky was pink, glittering with stars. The ground was covered in all sorts of wildflowers, and a large oak tree hung above the two teens.

Marco pulled away from the kiss, looking around in awe. "Woah... how'd you do that?"

"Chill Marco. I'm sure it will wear off when we wake up." Star patted his cheek and sat down under the tree, her hair was blowing softly in the breeze that she thought up.

Marco smiled, and sat down next to her. "Well, it's your head. We can do whatever we want in here and nobody will know."

Then, it clicked.

"Marco! You're a genius!" She gave him a bone-crushing hug.

"Imma what who now?"

"Don't ya get it? This is how we can see each other if we separate. I can sleep, then our minds will connect, and we can be with each other in our dreams!"

Star closed her eyes and a bowl of Sugar Seeds cereal appeared in front of her. It was her favorite cereal. She smiled and took a bite with the spoon she thought up. "Mmm, tastes batter than reality."

"Hey, that doesn't sound like a bad idea. So uh... what can we do in here," Marco watched as she spooned the cereal in her mouth.

"Anything we want."


	4. Ominous Waves and Golden Magic

The two teens sat under the tree as the crisp Mewman air blew over their skin. The stars were beautiful, and it all came from Star's mind, due to the weird thing she found out she could do only the other night.

"Star, how many bowls of Captain Blanches are you gonna eat," Marco said as he held his sandwich, taking a bite of it as he watched the princess down her third bowl of Sugar Seeds.

Star Butterfly smiled as milk dribbled out of her mouth as she spooned another scoop into her mouth. "As much as I can eat. They don't have this stuff on Mewni. When I become queen... or if I become queen, I'm going to demand they sell this at stores all across Mewni."

Marco watched as she downed her third bowl of cereal, then she reached for for the box and poured her another bowl-ful. He smiled in amusement. She was so adorable, it gave him butterflies. Pun not intended. He finished the last of his sandwich as he watched her dump the cereal into her open mouth.

"You're adorable, you know that?" Marco piped up. He wasn't so insecure anymore, and that made this even more true considering the fact that they were in Star's mind.

Star looked over at him wide-eyed, and a milk mustache painted just below her nose. "Mm-hm..."

"Hold on, let me get that for you." Marco chucked as he he leaned over and gently kissed her nose, tucking her messy bangs behind her ear. Star smiled and accepted the kiss.

"Aw, Marco," was all she could stifle.

"How did I not notice how adorable you were before?" The boy rubbed the back of his head shyly. He was still awkward around girls, even around his former best friend, now girlfriend. He still couldn't believe this. He was dating a princess from another dimension. His best friend. Star Butterfly. Princess of Mewni. How did this all happen?

Star smirked. "It took me almost dying to the hands of Toffee for you to notice."

"Yeah... I'm so glad you're okay Star. I don't know what I'd do without you. You changed my life so much... I'm forever grateful to you..." His eyes started to glisten with tears as he spoke.

Star almost dying was one of his biggest fears, even before they became a thing, and to think that he almost lost her was scary.

She flinched as she saw him cry. "M-Marco... please."

All of a sudden, the ground started to shake, and the sky became dark with clouds. Her dream was collapsing.

"What's going on?" Marco looked up at the now stormy sky.

* * *

Star awoke with a gasp. The warmth from her cheek emblems vanished. This was reality. The sun shone brightly in her windows, producing a beautiful yellow curtain of light.

"Ugh... my head." She put a hand to her head. It was pounding with a vicious migraine. Projecting a dream like that took a lot out of her.

She looked around for any changes. She was still in her room. Same bed, same wallpaper, and no Marco.

The door flew open and a boy came running to her. "Star!"

"Marco!" She squeaked as she felt him embrace her tightly and riddle her face with kisses. She happily accepted them, however, despite her headache.

"Are you okay? Did I hurt you? I'm sorry... I didn't mean to bring that up. I just... I thought I lost you that day..."

"Yeah, I'm fine Marco... I just have this ugh... headache." She clutched her head tightly. The pain was immense. It felt like someone took a hammer and repeatedly knocked her in the skull with it.

Marco looked at her with concern and gently pulled her into a hug. He softly patted her hair and smoothed it down, trying his best to soothe her. He rested his chin on her head and ran his hand down her back, rubbing it in circular motions.

Star smiled softly and hugged her boyfriend back. It was amazing, it was like her headache was magically gone when he hugged her. She could feel the overcast of pounding pain slightly lifting.

"Star...?"

"Yeah...?"

He pulled her from the hug and grabbed her shoulders, looking at her in the eyes. "What exactly... happened to you in there? You know... when you were with Toffee?"

Her mood shifted. She went from serene calmness to unexplained fear. Her pupils became smaller and she as she looked at Marco, then she looked away as her eyes started to fill with tears. "I... um..."

"Please..."

"He um... I was inside my wand. All of the magic was black and dull... except for a few specks. Toffee... he was this goo. And then..."

She could feel the pain coming back. She shut her eyes.

"Star?..."

"And then he regenerated. I fell... all the magic was gone except this one itty bitty speck at the bottom. I swam and swam but it was no use. That changed too... then I drowned."

Marco's eyes widen at Star's story. He frowned at her. "You died?... So he did kill you... ugh if he was still alive I would... I would..."

"Well, not exactly..."

"Then what happened? When I thought you died... I kinda... punched a hole straight through him."

"You WHAT?" Star gave him a look of shock.

"Yeah... eh heh. He felt like this big pile of goop. I see why they called him Toffee. He sure does feel like it. But it wasn't worth it. I got punched into a wall and blacked out for a second."

"Woah, that's awesome!" Star smiled at him.

"Not as awesome as you," Marco smirked. "Turning into that huge butterfly thing and completing destroying Toffee. All with a smile on your face!"

"I don't know what that was... I can't control it." Star shrugged. "All that matters is that we're both okay."

"Yeah. I never want to lose you again."

"Me either Marco. I think we deserve a summer of just doing nothing... on Mewni this time. As long as we've known each other, I never really showed you my home," Star said, her attention drawn to the window.

"That sounds good, but uh... what about your parents? They want to separate us."

"I don't care what they say. They can say what they want but I'm not leaving you. Ever." She blushed. "If you couldn't tell already, I'm deeply in love with you."

Marco blushed at her last remark. He didn't know what to say to that. "Staaaar, stahp."

"It's true," she smiled and grabbed his hand, softly touching it to her heart-stamped cheek. "You really touched my heart."

They both laughed and the pun, satisfied that they got to laugh for once after all that happened.

"Now, what do you say we get something to eat," Star said, "maybe you can sneak back to earth and get us another box of Sugar Seeds? Eh? Eh?"

"Maybe... you can't eat a lot of that stuff. It rots your teeth ya know? Also my parents are probably worried about me. I've been gone for a while ya know. I should really tell them I'm staying with you this summer."

"Yeah yeah yeah. Come on Marco, let's go eat something, then maybe I can show you more of Mewni! There's the forest of certain death. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?" Star grabbed his hand and pulled him downstairs.

"Yeah... a place with 'certain death' in the name surely sounds like a lot of fun."


	5. Guilt Trip

"And then.. and then, I kicked him in the knee, and he fell over crying! I was only 5 at the time, and that was one of the first times I realized I loved to fight monsters," Star said with glee as the two teens ate over breakfast. She happily took another bite of one of Mewni's prized dishes: corn on the cob.

Marco smiled at the princess. "Wow, that's amazing. It reminds me of the time when my parents first signed me up for karate. Buuut I'm only a red belt. I'll never be as good as you are."

"Please, you're awesome at karate Marco. Remember when we first met and we battled Ludo's monsters together?"

"Oh, yeah. I guess we were pretty awesome." Marco laughed nervously.

"Mm-hm," Star wiped her face with her arm and smiled at the boy. "Sooo my 15th birthday is coming up. Can you believe it? We've almost known each other for an entire year!"

"Yeah, it's sort of hard to believe. We've went from me wanting you gone... to fighting monsters and traveling to different dimensions... to you leaving earth... to me dating y- Star, are you sugaring your corn?"

The blonde princess smiled at him as she dumped a large pile of sugar on her corn. "Yeah mhm- GASP. You know what would be totally amazing?! If we combined corn and Sugar Seeds."

Marco cringed at the thought. "Ewww. That sounds disgus-"

He was cut off by the hyperactive blonde grabbing his hoodie and looking at him. Those beautiful blue eyes, he couldn't stay mad at her.

"Marcoooooo can you pweeeeeease go back to earth and bring back more Sugar Seeds?"

"Haven't you had enough sugar for breakfast? You're going to be bouncing off he walls. Literally."

Star puckered out her bottom lip and whimpered. Gosh, she was so adorable.

"Gah! Why are you so cute? Finnnnne," he sighed, "but don't eat the entire box in one sitting."

"Yay! You're the best boyfriend ever!" She smiled and hugged him tightly, kissing him on the cheek, causing his face to turn bright red.

"Yeah yeah yeah," Marco said as he pulled out his Hekapoo-given dimensional scissors, "Look Star, I'll be back in a little bit. I have to let my parents know I'm staying with you for the summer. They're probably worried about me. I've literally be gone for like 3 weeks."

"Okay Marco," Star smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too Estrella."

Marco cut a portal in the dining room and stepped through it, and just like that, he was back on Earth.

* * *

"Mom? Dad? I'm home!"

Marco looked the seemingly-empty house. Everything was just the same as when he left. Even the decorations from the party that they threw for him when summer first began. They were still up, and the balloons were half deflated. The streamers were hanging by a small sliver of tape. Wow, I guess they really did miss him, he thought to himself.

Marco walked into the kitchen, only to be stopped by one of Star's laser puppies who he affectionally named Barko Diaz. The puppy whimpered and pawed at his pant leg, begging to be picked up.

"Aww, I missed you too," Marco said as he scooped the puppy up into his arms. The puppy licked his face and yipped happily.

"You must be starving, you look like you haven't eaten in a couple of days now." He placed the puppy back on the floor and walked over to the dog dish, picking it up and placing it on the counter. Then he walked back over and picked up the bag of food. A half-full box of Sugar Seeds tipped over as he lifted the dog food off of the ground.

"Of course, behind the dog food. Why didn't I think of that?"

Marco picked up the box of Captain Blanches off of the ground, resting it aside as he filled the dog dish up. He placed it on the ground as the starving laser puppy ate the kibble.

"Eat up, puppy. I hope my parents come back soon, it looks like they haven't been here for a while. I have to get back to Mewni now, Star's waiting for me." He picked up the cereal and got out his scissors.

That's when he heard the door handle jiggle.

"Oh, it must be mom and dad. I'll just tell them I'm staying with Star before I go," Marco said to himself as he walked to the door.

"Mom, dad, I'm staying with Star- oh my gosh."

"Marco?"

"Jackie?..."

He couldn't believe what he was seeing right now. Jackie Lynn Thomas, his ex, was standing right in front of him. He hasn't talked to her since the party which was about three weeks ago. Now she was right here, in front of him. There was no running away now, he had to face her.

"What are you doing here, Marco," She said, her voice sounding solemn.

"What am I doing here? T-this is my house," Marco said, his voice shaking. His heart was racing a mile a minute. He could tell that she was upset with him. "What a-are you doing here?"

"I came to feed the dog. Your parents are on vacation. They left a few days ago," the girl replied. "I thought you were living with Star now? On Mewni or whatever..."

Marco frowned at the tone of her voice. She sounded so... heartbroken. It made him feel like the biggest jerk in the word. He didn't mean to hurt her, just as he didn't mean to hurt Star when him and Jackie were together. He just wanted everything to be normal, even though things would never be again, especially at this moment.

"Uh... I am. I just came back to get her a box of Sugar Seeds," he said as he showed her the box. "They're her favorite."

"Oh... okay..."

"Yeah."

"So, how's life?" Jackie looked at the boy with a small smile. "Are you dating Star now?.."

"It's been..hectic. A lot has happened on Mewni in the last couple of weeks. Ludo tried to take over the castle, Toffee almost KILLED Star... and- What was that?"

"Look, are you and Star a thing now?"

Marco nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Uhh... um... yeah, we are."

Jackie closed her eyes and laughed. "I knew it."

"Wait, what?"

"I knew the two of you liked each other from the moment I've seen you two interact. The way you looked at each other, the way that the two of you had your little 'Friendship Thursdays', the way that you both go on adventures together. It was pretty obvious..." Tears were welling in her eyes now, and she looked away from the boy. "I was a fool..."

Marco wore a look of concern on his face as he saw her tear up. He felt so guilty, and his eyes started to moisten as well. "Jackie... you're not-"

"I was a fool to think that someone actually wanted to get to know me for me, not because I'm 'the coolest girl in school'... but that's okay, go have fun with Star! She's a lot cooler than I am..."

Those words stung. Marco could feel them crawling on his skin, making the hairs on his arms stand on end. Did he... do this? Did he hurt his lifelong former crush like this? He didn't mean to do this... it hurt... he can feel his cheeks become warm as tears started to run down his face.

"J-Jackie... I..."

"Can it Diaz. It's fine, I get it. You love Star now, not me. I have to get over it, I know."

"Jackie, please... I'm sorry..." He reached out a hand to touch her shoulder, but she quickly moved it away.

"It's fine, really." She looked up at him with a smile, her cheeks wet with tears. "You and Star make an amazing couple. I'm happy for the both of you, really, I am. I hope you're happy with her."

"Jackie..."

She patted his shoulder and gave him a small hug. "I wish the both of you the best," she sniffled.

Marco hugged her back, tears still steadily streaming down his face like a leaky faucet. He couldn't make out words, his guilt was consuming him.

"Look, you go back to Mewni, she's waiting for ya. I'll be back tomorrow to feed the dog, alright? See ya at school." And with that, she picked up her skateboard, buckled her helmet, and skated back home.

Marco quickly wiped his tears, grabbed the cereal, and opened a portal with his scissors.

* * *

"Marco, you took forever to come back! Where have you been..? Marco?"


	6. Conflicting Feelings

Jackie Lynn Thomas skated home. Her eyes had bags under them from crying, her cheeks were streaked with mascara lines. She wasn't sure why she was crying, all that she knew was seeing Marco hurt a ton.

She knew how much he cared about Star. He had cared about her ever since she came to Earth as the foreign exchange student. But they became so close within the past couple of months that he had developed feelings for her as well. She was starting to wish that maybe she shouldn't have just nodded at him in the hallway, and maybe stopped skating and talked with him a bit.

She also had nothing against Star. She was a good person, and they were friends. She had no idea how Star felt about her ex until that party where she left out of nowhere. Maybe she should have backed off sooner. Her mind was racing, she couldn't think straight. She was happy for the both of them, but at the same time, she felt disregarded by Marco and tossed aside. She knew he was a good guy and didn't want to hurt her however. All of this was too much.

Jackie reached the front porch of her house as she skidded to a halt. She took off her helmet and picked up her skateboard before walking in side. Her hair was a mess, and strands were sticking in all directions.

Pretty soon, she made her way to her room. After setting her skateboard and helmet against the wall, she threw herself on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. She still loved him, but she knew it was best to let him be with Star.

She got out her cellphone and unlocked it. Her wallpaper was a picture of Marco and her when they went to the school dance. She was smiling, her arm around Marco's waist. He was in his tuxedo and she was in her turquoise dress. They both were smiling, having the time of their lives. That is, until Star almost got sucked up into that black hole. It was like the universe knew that her and Marco were meant to be.

Jackie smiled through her tears, but the memories were too much. She went into her camera roll, scrolled up to the picture, and pressed 'delete'.

Just as she thought, nobody cared enough about her to even want to get to know her last her cool girl image. She was just another one dimensional popular girl, she wasn't supposed to have any depth to her character, was she?

Jackie sighed as she went through her camera roll to delete the pictures that she had with Marco. The dance, the movies, the concert, all were tossed into the abyss of cyberspace, never to be seen again. The tears were coming back, and she let them out this time. She turned over and placed her head into her pillow, sobbing quietly.

* * *

'Marcooooo?"

Star waved a hand in front of the latino's face, concerned as he had been standing there for a long couple of seconds now.

Marco sighed, his mouth contorted into a frown.

"Here..." He pushed the box of cereal to Star then made his way up the steps.

Star was getting worried. She watched him slowly carry himself up the spiral staircase before following behind him.

"What's wrong? You've been like this ever since you got back. What happened? Is it something with Mr. and Mrs. Diaz?"

Marco didn't answer. He walked down the hallway to his room.

Star was getting sad now. What could be the problem? He wasn't talking. "Marco, please talk to me."

She followed closely as he walked to his room and tried to shut it on her, but she quickly caught it before it shut. She watched as he sat on the edge of his bed and stared at the wall.

About 45 seconds passed. Same position. No movement. Star had to do something.

The blonde walked in his room, shutting the door behind her softly. She sat next to him, softly placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Marco, what's wrong? You can tell me. Just because we're dating doesn't mean that you can't talk to me anymo-"

'Dating'. That word made him anxious. He quickly brushed her hand away, causing Star to gasp with shock. She quickly retracted her hand as he buried his head into his lap, grasping his dark brown hair. 1

She was starting to get angry now, and her eyebrows furrowed. "Marco, I swear... if you don't tell me what's bothering y-"

"Fine! Okay! I feel guilty!" He quickly jumped up and looked at her, his eyes welling with tears again.

Star was confused, she raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. "Guilty?... about what?"

Marco was a bit calmer now, he sighed as he looked at the princess. "I... saw Jackie. She was there to look after the house while my parents were gone on vacation. She and I... talked about how I was dating you... and..."

Star's face drooped into a frown as she watched him talk... she knew it was too good to be true. Marco never liked her as more than a friend... why did she trust him? Was he lying to her this whole time?

"...She seemed sad about the us breaking up thing and leaving Earth unexpectedly. But she says she's happy we're together... she says-"

"Oh... so you lied to me."

Marco's pupils went to the size of pin heads. "Star, what?..."

Star smiled softly. "You lied."

"Star, what are you talking about?"

She stood up, the smile growing larger as her eyes filled with tears. "You still have feelings for Jackie, but you kissed me and told me that you loved me... you don't love me as nothing more than a friend. You... you lied to me. How could... I was so stupid to think that you actually felt the same way..."

Marco was panicking now. He swiftly got up and grabbed her hand. "Star! Where did you get THAT from?! I love you so much, I-"

Marco couldn't even react before he felt her pull her hand away roughly. Star had tears streaming down her cheeks now, and she was breathing heavily as sobs wracked her small figure.

"Please, let me... I'm sorry Star, I wasn't trying to upset you!" He walked closer to her only for her to back up.

"Star..."

"Get away from me. You probably only agreed to date me to be the next king of Mewni..."

Marco could feel the venom teeming from her mouth. "Star! What is with you today?!"

"YOU'RE the one who has was moping!"

Marco stepped closer. "Please, Star... I love you. I wouldn't lie to you. Haven't we known each other long en-"

Before he could finish his sentence, he felt himself fall roughly onto the bed. Star had pushed him and had run out the room before he could even react, slamming the door behind her.


	7. Mess Up Twins

"Star, please come out. You've been in there for hours. I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to make... I love you... so much."

Marco felt awful. He made the girl he love lose faith in him, and it was all his fault. Why did Jackie have to come over at that exact time? Why did he have to feel guilty about what he did to her? Oh right... he left her without any word. He didn't check on her or tell her where he was going. He felt awful, considering that she was his crush for the majority of his life.

But none of that mattered now at least. He was with Star, and she was his number one priority. He had to try to make things right between them now.

Marco had the box of cereal that he brought back for her and he shook it. "I have cereal for you. It's your favorite. Please, it was an honest mistake..."

The boy sighed and blew his bangs out of his eyes. It was no use. She wasn't responding to any of his attempts to get her to come out.

He got a bowl from the kitchen and poured a generous amount of the cereal into it, then sat it beside the door. He hung his head low as he walked away from the bedroom door, beating himself up internally. He was genuinely upset.

* * *

Star was curled up on her bed, her legs tucked towards her chest and her arms tightly wrapped around them. She had been listening to Marco's pleas for her to come out, but she didn't comply to them. Her judgements about his intentions had consumed her.

He didn't love her. Not at all. Well... not in that way. He only saw her as a friend, and that's all they will ever be.

Of course he cared about her. They have been through a lot together within the time they have known each other. And she cared about him, more than she could ever describe to him.

Star pulled out the picture of the two of them that she had grabbed off of the refrigerator when she had first fled from Earth. It was the two of them, laughing and smiling as they held a beach ball, and the caption read "BEACH DAY". Her lips were done up in a smile, then she frowned. How could he lie to her like that? He told her that he loved her and agreed to date her... only for him to want Jackie back?

The princess looked down, setting the picture beside her and looked away from it. Maybe she was being a little unreasonable. She didn't let him finish explaining, and her predetermined conclusions clouded her reasoning skills.

Star sighed and flopped on her back, staring up at the ceiling. She really messed up, and her... boyfriend? Best friend? She didn't know right now... was begging for her to come out. She felt awful but at the same time she felt hurt.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket, interrupting her train of thought. Annoyed, she got it out and flipped it open.

 _ **Tom:** Hey, Starship, how are you? :) _

"Ugh... really?" Star rolled her eyes and her thumbs twiddled quickly as she she replied.

 _ **Star:** what do you want and don't call me that _

_**Tom:** What? I can't say hi?_

 _ **Star:** it's not a good time rn_

 _ **Tom:** Why not?_

 _ **Star:** just boy things that's all..._

 _ **Tom:** oh... well I hope things get better ^•u•^ _

_I was just letting you know that the Silver Bell Ball was coming up_

Star suddenly perked up. She had totally forgotten about that.

 _ **Star:** omg I forgot! Just so you know I'm not dancing with you _

_**Tom:** what? I didn't say anything about that I was just letting you know geez _

_**Star:** I'm with Marco now..._

 _ **Tom:** ok that's fine if you wanna date an earth turd then nobody is stopping you I was just letting you know about the ball coming up in two days _

_**Star:** ok Tom, thanks. _

_**Tom:** ;)_

Star rolled her eyes and closed her phone. Tom had still not gotten over her and she could feel it. It was aggravating her even more and she slammed her head into a pillow, causing her phone to fall to the hard concrete floor with a "thump."

* * *

Marco sat at the dining room table. His eyes were red from crying for hours, and he had visible bags under his eyes. He hung his head, his hair was frayed in all directions.

The king had walked in the room, holding a plate that he planned on filling up. His attention was deterred when he noticed the young boy moping at the table. He stopped what he was doing and went over to him.

"Marco, what are you doing sitting at the table moping? Shouldn't you be with my daughter?"

"She's mad at me right now River," Marco said with a sigh. "I uh... said some things and she got upset. I brought up my ex and that was a trigger I guess..."

River's eyes widened and he gasped. "How dare you? You should never do that! I would know, when I first met her mother, she would bring up that stupid bloke all the time... but that's besides the point. What did you say that upset her?"

Marco sighed again and frowned. "I know, I know. I messed up. But I wasn't trying to get back with her or anything... I was simply trying to tell her that she supported our relationship... even though she was tearing up as she was talking to me. I felt awful... but Star wouldn't let me finish explaining. She said I lied, that I only wanted to be with her to be the next king of Mewni! Can you believe that? I couldn't run an entire country, I can't even handle the stress of having wet socks!"

River smiled and placed an arm around Marco's shoulder. "My boy... you're a good kid, and I trust you with my daughter's heart. You calmed her down a bit and taught her discipline, which is something I couldn't even do. Haha! I'm hastily approaching 40 and I'm already going bald, and I couldn't even do that. I think you would make a fine king. I would trust passing the crown down to you, my boy."

Marco looked at him and smiled a little. "Really?"

"Of course. Who's going to take care of my sweet pea when I'm too old to do so anymore? You of course. I've always wanted the two of you to date, you're good for her Marco." The king took off his crown and rubbed his bald head. "I have no hair left! That time is fast approaching my boy."

Marco's smile disappeared and he looked down. "But what if she never forgives me? Besides, Moon doesn't want us together and wants to send me back to earth soon..."

River placed a hand over his mouth. "Shhh, don't tell her this but I fully support your relationship one hundred percent. She does too, but we talked and we discussed a few things. Mewmans aren't accepting of royalty dating non royalty, especially monsters. It could get the two of you hurt and we don't want that to happen to the both of you when the crown is passed down. But I managed to talk to her, and we agree to help keep your relationship under the radar."

Marco looked at the king and smiled. "Oh gosh, you would really do that River?! You're the best father and law ever!"

"It's no big deal my boy. You and your family have helped us out so much. It's the least I can do. I'll even teach you how to hunt pig goats if ya like."

Marco nodded gleefully. "Would I? Of course! That is... if Star and I-"

Their conversation was interrupted by a carton of floating milk. The king and boy's eyes wandered across the room back to the source.

A blonde girl was standing on the bottom of the steps. Her hair was slightly messy, and she was in blue dress with a narwhal on it. She didn't have any footwear on and her eyes were droopy from the bags under them. She was using her wand to levitate the carton of milk over for the gift that Marco had left for her.

River got up and left the room quickly, his short stature making his shuffle look comical. "I'll leave you two kids alone."

"Marco?"

"Star?"

Star's face wore a look of guilt, but then her eyebrows furrowed. "What were you talking to my dad about?!"

Marco looked down. "Nothing! It was nothing... I was... just asking for advice..."

His sadness made her sad. Why did he have to be such a cute idiot?

She sighed as she levitated the carton of milk onto the table after pouring it into the bowl. She was holding the bowl of cereal in one hand, her wand in the other. "Um... thanks for the cereal...by the way."

"No problem. I would do anything for you, you know."

Those words made her stomach flutter with butterflies. Ugh, he was leading her on... she couldn't stay mad. "...yeah."

Marco got up from the table and started to leave. "Well, I guess you're still mad at me huh?.. I'll go."

He started to walk past her and up the steps, but he stopped when he felt something tug his sleeve.

"No... I'm not," Star said hesitantly.

Marco looked back at her. Her blue eyes were glistening as her eyes were welling with tears. She looked so cute, but it also made him upset because he felt like it was him who caused this burst of drama.

"You're not?.."

"No, not anymore... I'm sorry, Marco... I overreacted, big time..."

Before the boy could configure a response, he was consumed by one of Star's signature bone-crushing hugs. She then nuzzled her nose into his hoodie.

He couldn't help it, she was just so darn cute. He gently wrapped his arms around the girl, petting her long, golden locks. "Hey... it's alright Star... I'll always forgive you."

Star looked up at him with teary eyes. "You... you're not mad?"

Marco gave a soft smile and chuckled lightly. "No, how could I stay mad at an amazing girl like you?".

She sighed softly. "Not so amazing... I just... I felt intimidated okay?... Jackie is so cool... she's pretty, she can skate... she's generous and kind... and I'm so... not that... you wouldn't be losing anything if you went back to Earth to be with her..."

Marco sat down on the steps, patting a spot next to him, which Star eagerly accepted. She sat down next to him to listen to what he had to say.

"Star... how many times do I have to say this? You are absolutely amazing... you're a princess of an entire kingdom for crying out loud. You defeated Toffee with a single flick of your wand... you cheated death, and rose again from the ashes... you sacrificed your life to save Mewni! Your parents... me... I could never do that...you are awesome, Star."

A large smile appeared on Star's face. "Aww, Marco..."

"And I... I love everything about you..."

The girl embraced him again, the smile not leaving her face as she crushed him in her grip again. The Latino accepted the hug and rested his chin on her head, hugging back.

"You're such a cute idiot, you know that?"

"I know, Star, I know... You can always count on Earth turd to mess up."

Star looked up with a mischievous smile. "You're the greatest earth turd I've ever known."

Before Marco could speak, Star got up and ran up the steps. Marco giggled and followed after her.

"I'm gonna totally get you for that!"

"Don't count on it, mess up twin," Star giggled. Their laughter could be heard throughout the castle.

The Silver Bell Ball was fast approaching, and she needed an outfit.


	8. Silver Bell Ball

The Silver Bell Ball was a Mewman tradition. It was held once every year in Mewni since the kingdom was founded. It was a huge royal get together, and royal bloodlines from all the land would come to flock to this one event.

This would be Marco's first time going to an event as big as this one, other than Song Day, which turned out to be a disaster. All of Mewni now knows how Star feels about him, and now that they were dating, it would made it even more difficult for them to keep their feelings for each other a secret.

The two teens walked into the ballroom, and Star frantically was trying to pull her hair up into one of her hair ties. This was a mandatory royal event, and she was forced to go by her parents, since she was a Butterfly after all, and the Butterfly family were the supreme leaders of Mewni.

"Here, let me help you with that," Marco said, pulling one of Star's pigtails up and gently securing it in place with the royal blue hair tie. He smiled at her as she stopped what she was doing and let him fix her hair for her.

"Thaaaanks Marco," Star said, smiling as the boy finished securing her hair into place. Now her hairstyle was complete. She wore two buns on either side of her head, and a small tiara past her bangs in contrast from her usual devil horn headband. She had to assimilate to the perfect princess image that all of Mewni had expected her to be, and it was even more imperative after the huge flop that was Song Day.

Her parents walked in after the two teens, and Moon hurried over to them, pulling her dress up so that she wouldn't trip over it while River went to take his seat.

"Star, Marco, you need to keep your relationship low profile. This is a royal event and if any of the other royal family finds out about this, there will be consequences, do you understand?"

Star waved her hand in annoyance at her mother's warning. "Yeah, yeah yeah, or else Mewni will hate me even more. I got it."

"Well, dear. That's one way to put it."

Star reached behind her and grabbed her boyfriend's hand, causing him to blush. She spoke with a fake British accent. "Now, if you would excuse me mother, Marco and I are going to go get a spot of tea."

Moon sighed in disappointment. "Alright. I'll go over and talk with the Avarius family. They're probably worried about their son." And with that, she walked away.

Star gently pulled Marco over to the concession table and grabbed a glass, filling it with tea that was a wholesome blend of Mewni's own herbs and spices.

Marco watched her as she took a swig from her glass and cautiously poured him a glass. He looked into it as it bubbled, and it looked vaguely similar to swamp water, but he took a sip anyway.

His eyes widened. It tasted absolutely horrible, and he couldn't fathom how Star was enjoying it. Then again, she wanted to mix corn and Sugar Seeds together so she was into some weird flavors.

Marco's face turned green and his cheeks puffed out as he spat the tea in the other direction. Bad mistake. He spat it on one of the guests.

"Oh no, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to... here, let me-"

Tom Lucitor. Prince of the Underworld. Marco had spat the tea onto him.

His anger was rising greater and greater, even more so now that he noticed that Marco was standing next to his ex girlfriend.

Steam was wafting from his forehead, and his eyes were turning white as fire engulfed him. He left out a loud, ominous growl as he rose into the air, now towering over the two of them.

"SHE...WAS SUPPOSED TO GO WITH ME!"

Marco backed up, bumping into Star who was not fazed one by Tom's overdramatic display of anger. She was rather disappointed in the demon, who she had thought had moved on from her.

The whole scene caused a spectacle, and guests were flocking over to watch the event, whispering and talking amongst themselves.

"Isn't that the guy from Song Day?"

"Star Butterfly is in love with her best friend!"

Star was getting annoyed now, and she stepped over to the angry demon and stamped her foot on the ground.

"Chill, would ya?! Marco is myyyyyy..."

 _I shouldn't have said that,_ she thought to herself. All eyes were on the three of them.

"Uhhh... My guide. Yep. My guide. Heh," Whew. That was a close one, Star thought. She rubbed the back of her head and smiled. "Nothing to see here! Just a friendly welcoming form Tom Lucitor, here."

Tom quickly cooled down and landed on his feet. He had caused this scene with his outburst and had to cover up his tracks. "What I meant to say was, yeah, Princess Star Butterfly, her guide. Glad the both of you could make it!"

"Worst fight ever!"

"Yeah, that sucked!"

The crowd around them began to disperse, much to their happiness. That was a close one.

The demon flashed a smile at the princess, his pearly white fangs glistening in the light of the chandelier. Star scoffed and crossed her arms, angry at the him.

"Seriously, Tom?! What was THAT?"

"What was what? Starship, you're the one who bought that loser," he said, pointing to the shook Marco, "My parents forced me to come so that we could leave a sophisticated presence."

"Hey!" Marco was offended.

The blonde princess was growning more and more angry by the second. She jumped in front of Marco and got in the demon's face. "If anyone's the loser here, it's you! Mister 'I can't get over my ex even though I've said time and time again I want to be just friends'"

Tom was hurt by that remark, and he could feel the pang forming in his chest, but he disguised it with a chuckle. "Heh, you're funny Starship."

Star scoffed. Was he really laughing at her? This wasn't funny, at all. "Not as funny as you getting angry over a little tea on your suit."

Tom frowned. He was really angering her, and that wasn't his intention at all. He had tried so hard to get over this girl, but he just couldn't. She was everything he ever wanted, and he was just driving her further away with his outbursts.

"Yeah, Starsh- I mean, Star. I'm sorry about that."

The princess wasn't convinced. "Now, apologize to Marco."

The demon rolled his eyes, but anything to appease the princess. "Fine... Sorry, Marco."

Marco looked at him and placed a hand on the back of his neck. "I'm sorry for uh... spilling tea on ya."

"No big deal, I kinda made it evaporate off when I got uh... a little angry there."

Star smiled faintly. "Now, can we all just get along? We were both forced to this boring royal event, can we at least make the best of it?"

Tom looked over at Star and smiled back. "Yeah, anything for you, Starship."

"Ugh, stop calling me that. Now, I'm going to go freshen up, I'll be right back." The princess pulled up her dress and walked away from the boys, struggling to walk in her heels.

This was his chance. Tom grabbed the unexpected Marco's arm and dragged him into a corner across the ballroom floor.

"Hey! Let go of-"

"How dare you bring Star without my permission?!"

Marco was surprised. Without his permission? Who told Tom that he was the boss of him? "Without your permission? I don't know if she told you this, but Star is my girlfriend now!"

"Hah! What does she see in a loser like you?!"

"Well, at least I don't try to force her to some dance in order to bind my soul with hers unwillingly.

Tom was getting angered now, and his voice was now a loud whisper. "That was so long ago, dude! I'm a changed man."

Marco laughed at that remark. Changed? That was a stretch. "If you call getting mad at seeing us simply standing together 'changed', then I don't know what to tell you."

The demon boy growled, gnashing his teeth together. "You're a sarcastic little punk! You know that?!"

Marco smirked. He knew that Tom couldn't do anything to him now, since there were so many Mewmans around and for the fact that he had to keep his composure.

Tom growled, growing increasingly more livid by the second.

"See what I mean," Marco said, throwing his hands up in the air, "you need to calm down. This is the reason Star broke up with you in the first place."

"Shut up!"

"Yeah, you know I'm right."

Tom got closer to Marco, practically foaming at the mouth from anger. Marco was a little afraid now, and backed up.

Their unproductive conversation was interrupted by Star's father beating up a Mewman.

"Ugh! Take that, you scoundrel," River said, bitting his leg.

Just as this was taking place, Star was back from the bathroom. Her eyes adverted to her dad and the man fighting, which caused her to let out an audible sigh. "Ugh, really? Could this night get any worse?"

Tom stopped his advances on Marco and walked up to the angry princess, offering his hand out to her. "May I please have this dance?"

"Star, no!" Marco was growing more angry, and he reached his hand out as he ran over.

Star looked at his hand, then took it, rolling her eyes. The both turned away from each other as they started to dance.

River stopped his assault on the Mewman, and turned to face the spectacle, as did everyone in the room.

Their moves were so in sync, it was ludicrous. Tom and Star both moved across the dance floor with the upmost precision. He lifted her off the ground and twirled her in the air as the crowd watched in awe.

Marco looked on, growing more jealous by the second. He just... he just wooed his girlfriend and she was caving into it. He clenched his fist and furrowed his eyebrows as the two continued to dance.

The dance was heating up, literally. Fire and butterflies started to emanate from their feet, lifting them off the ground and spinning them round and a round. They both looked in each other's eyes as they both spun, smiling at each other, now.

"Oh, look at my girl go," River said with tears in his eyes.

Star and Tom both landed on their feet, both looking at each other, hand and hand. She was amazed. That was amazing. She only agreed to do it to stop the ever-growing tension in the room, but she was blown away by Tom's dance moves.

"Uh. I think we should stop dancing now." Tom gently let go of the starstruck girl's hands.

Did that just happen? Star was amazed at Tom, and his dance moves, despite the rough start at the beginning of the night. He really impressed her and she couldn't stop smiling about it. Did she... was she actually... nah, it couldn't be.

Moon rung a bell, which meant the Silver Bell Ball was coming to a close. "And that concludes the Silver Bell Ball!"

The room applauded Star and Tom's performance, even Tom's dad was in tears. It amazed everyone as they roared in approval.

Marco's jealousy was at its peak. He stomped out of the room and out the door. He couldn't believe that just happened, right in front of his eyes. This is probably how Star felt when he blew her off to go to the dance with Jackie, except ten times worse.

"Star," Tom said, staring at the girl.

"Woah... wha? What just happened?"

Tom chuckled. "You can stop staring at me now."

She softly smiled at the demon. "Oh, sorry... I guess we got a bit carried away there."

"Yeah..." Tom trailed off.

"Yeah."

Star shook her head, then she remembered something really important. "Where's Marco?"

"I don't know Starship, he was just here a second ago."

"...oh no... I really messed up..." She snapped out of her daze and ran outside, pushing open the door.

"Star, wait!" Tom raced after her, tripping over his own feet.

* * *

It was night, and the air was cold and chilly. Mewni's three moons created a beautiful white overcast over everything the light touched.

"Marco? Where are you," Star called in the darkness. He was nowhere to be found. Tom raced after her.

"I don't know where he is, Starship." Tom frowned at her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. She was cold to the touch and shivering. Her teeth were chattering rapidly.

"You must be cold, here, take this." Tom took off his suit jacket and started to place it over the shivering Star's shoulders when he was abruptly interrupted.

"Get off of my girlfriend!"

Tom was knocked from a blow to the head by a fury of hard punches, which caused Star to gasp in surprise.

"Hey dude! Chill! I was just-" The demon was silenced by a punch to the cheek.

"Can it! I know what you were trying to do! You were trying to take Star away from me! Well, she's mine! Not yours, so back off!"

"Guys, can we please..." Star started, growing more annoyed by the second.

Tom yelled, and grabbed the spot where Marco had punched him in pain. He then looked at him, growling loudly. "Ow! Hey! That wasn't very NICE!"

The demon roared, and pushed the fumbling kid off of him, sending him flying straight into a tree trunk. Marco let out a loud scream as he felt a sharp pain in his back, then he face planted on the ground.

"Tom! Stop!" Star was screaming in horror now as she fiddled around for her wand.

Tom ignored Star's scream and roared again, walking over to the writhing Marco, who was struggling to stand up.

"TOM!" Star spat, pulling her wand out and pointing it at the both of them.

She was ignored again, and they stared throwing punches at each other. They tussled and fought, Marco trying his best to hold the demon off.

That was it. Star was fuming now. She had to put a stop to this. Mewmans were coming out to watch the spectacle.

"Star!" Moon ran outside calling for her daughter. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"Hyper icicle destruction beam!"

With a blue blast from her wand, Tom was pinned against the wall by a barrage of icicles. Marco fell to his knees, holding his bruised arm.

"Nothing mother, nothing." Star levitated the injured Marco off the ground with her wand. "Let's go home, Marco."

Tom frowned, pinned to the wand by Star's spell as he watched as the two of them walked off into the night. He had really messed up.


	9. Jealousy

"Ow ow! Careful, Star!"

The Butterflies and Marco have just came back from the disaster that was the Silver Bell Ball. Star had been tending to Marco's battle scars after his encounter with her ex, Tom the demon. He had sustained a bruised arm and a few scratches to his face and back, but luckily he was fine.

"Sorry, Marco. Sorry," Star had winced at Marco's hisses as she tried to dab a large gash on his bare back. She gently placed the soaked cotton ball on the wound, triggering a loud yell from the injured Marco.

"Owwwww! Star!"

The princess was getting slightly irritated. She stopped rubbing the wound and got out a small, pink bandage with a rainbow and hearts on it. "Marco, I'm only trying to help you," she said as she smoothed the bandage over the gash.

"Well, you could do it a little less painfully, couldn't you," Marco spat.

Star was taken back by the tone of his voice, and quickly snapped back. "Look, I know you are upset about Tom, but do you really have to take it out on me?!"

Marco turned his head around to look at Star, who was now tending to another wound. "Oh, I'm sorry, Miss 'I like dancing with my psycho demon ex...'"

Star scoffed. Did he really think that she had feelings again for that crazy demon? She loved him, and it hurt for him to think that. Then again, she felt awful for dancing with Tom, especially in front of Marco. She didn't mean to hurt him, and she knew how jealousy felt after having to bear seeing him with Jackie. It hurt immensely.

Marco got off of the bathroom sink, hissing from his bruised arm and grabbed his pajama shirt. He threw it over his head, trying not to make eye contact with the startled Star Butterfly.

"Marco, I'm sorry, okay? I wasn't trying to make you jealous. Everyone was bickering and arguing... I just wanted everyone to stop! I didn't mean to make it worse."

The boy seemingly ignored the princess' testimony. He rolled his eyes and shot a glare back at her. "Well ya could have achieved that without dancing with the guy, couldn't ya?"

Star looked off to the side and let out a sigh, her bangs moving slightly from the gust of air. He was right, she shouldn't have danced with him, and deserved to get it rubbed in her face. Then again, did Marco have to fight time and cause a huge commotion in front of Mewni's leaders?

Star walked over to him and shot him a glare as well. "Well, did you really have to fight Tom, huh? You embarrassed us in front of everyone! He's not a bad guy... he just... has anger issues."

"I had to, he was all over you! Why would I let that crazy demon gush all over my girlfriend like that, huh?" Marco's anger was subsiding, she could tell. His lips dropped into a frown and he looked over to the side, trying not to make eye contact with her.

"Marco, I can handle it myself. I'm not a baby."

And there it was, Marco thought to himself. Star was so... amazing. She was strong-willed, diligent, and brave. He was none of those things, and he probably never would be. Why did Star choose to have a crush on a loser like him when she was all of these amazing things? She didn't need protecting. She could do everything herself. All he was here to do was tag along on her crazy adventures.

Marco stood up straight, and looked the princess in the eyes. "If you can do everything yourself, then what am I here for?"

Star's eyes widened, and she frowned. "I didn't mean it like that..."

"I was just trying to protect you and lead you out of trouble. Can you let me protect you for once? I know I don't have a wand or anything like you, but I can do stuff too, you know." Marco's face was expressionless. He was tired of being the safe kid, the one who Star always saved. He wanted a chance to save Star for once, to be her hero, when she was the one who was doing all of the saving.

The blonde didn't know what to say. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words were applicable. She gave up and just exhaled, looking down at her purple boots.

Marco was hurt by what she did at the ball, but he just couldn't stay mad at her. Star Butterfly, the magical princess from another dimension, was so important to him, and she gave his life so much meaning. His purpose in life was to be her partner in crime, to cheer her on, to protect her and to guide her out of harms way.

The Latino stepped over to her and grabbed her wrist, he could tell he upset her. Star looked up at the boy, stammering to make out words. "I-I didn't know you felt that way..."

"Just let me protect you for once," he repeated. He leaned down and touched his lips with hers, silencing her.

Star was taken back. She felt her whole face grow warm, her cheek emblems glowing faintly. He was kissing her again, and she craved it so much. She shut her eyes and let him kiss her.

She gently moved her hands up, gently padding at the small of his neck, the other grabbing a handful of his chocolate brown hair. She flinched as Marco's arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer. This Marco was different than the insecure, introverted Marco that she was so used to observing.

The boy gently pulled away from her lips, gasping softly. Star was moved; she just started into his deep brown eyes, panting gently as he pulled her into a hug. Star's arms automatically wrapped around his, careful not to hug too tightly as he was still injured.

"I love you, Star... I'm afraid of losing you again... don't you get that," Marco whispered.

"I love you too, Marco... You won't lose me..." Star said, her voice cracking slightly. She left herself fall limp in his arms. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I've almost lost you too many times to count..."

"I know..." she wanted to stay there forever. He was so alluring when he was worried about her.

She felt her feet leave the ground, he was carrying her now, throwing her over his shoulder. "Marco!"

"It's my turn to sweep you off of your feet," he remarked with a chuckle as he carried her out of the bathroom, flicking the light off.

* * *

"Stupid Marco. Stupid ball. Stupid dance!" A roar was heard as a dart soared through the air and embedded itself into the board, setting it on fire.

Tom the demon sat in his room, shooting fire-lit darts at a dart board. He was trying desperately to forget the events that transpired earlier that night.

He had Star Butterfly in his finger tips practically. He nearly won her back. But it all came crashing down in a fury of Earth turd punches.

He couldn't get over her, he just couldn't. She was so... perfect. Her deep blue eyes. Her long golden mane that fell right below her knees. Those cute, heart-stamped cheeks. All gone.

He kept blaming Marco. Marco was the one she was wooed by, not him. All he did was drive her further and further away with his outbursts. Marco was right, that's the exact reason they broke up, and he hated himself for it.

Tom groaned and hit himself in the head. Why did he have to be cursed with this ailment? He tried so, so hard to suppress it, to no avail. He even took those stupid anger management classes, and petted hundreds of pink fluffy bunnies, but he couldn't stop it no matter what he did.

He sighed. It didn't matter anyway. Star had feelings for Marco now. Not him. He might as well accept it and move on. He wasn't going to get her back any time soon. He really messed up at the ball, driving her further away. Tears started to dapple his eye sockets at the thought.

The demon sniffled as his hand patted one of his pink therapy bunnies. He really messed up, and he felt guilty. Both Star and Marco deserved a sincere apology, he thought as his eyes averted to his cell phone. He may be a demon, but he wasn't heartless.

He reached for it, then stopped. He was planning on texting Star, but he felt that wouldn't be enough. He would head over to the Butterfly castle tomorrow and apologize the right way.

He figured they needed some space. A lot had happened that night and everyone needed to cool off, himself literally.

Tom set the bunny on the bed next to him, and lied back, staring up at his candle-lit chandelier. Tomorrow was going to be a productive day. He was going to prove himself to Star finally. Or at least give her a sincere apology. He didn't know yet.

* * *

"I win! Best out of three?"

Star giggled as she threw her hand of cards in the air. They were playing a card game that Marco had bought back from earth.

"Ugh, how are you so good at this? Can we play something else?" Marco crossed his arms and watched as Star put her hand back in and start to shuffle the deck again.

"Just one more time, pweeeease Marco?"

"You just wanna play again so you can win again..." Marco rolled his eyes with a small smile on his face. She was so cute.

Star smiled back, shuffling the cards in her hands a couple of times. "I only won because I kept getting the good cards! Like the little rainbow one, the arrow one, the one that makes you have to draw four cards!"

"Good point," Marco said, putting his hand back in for the princess to shuffle. "Okay... just one more game, then we're playing something else, alright?"

"Deal."

Their game was interrupted by a knock on the door. It was probably her mother or father, Star thought.

The door open, and her prediction was right. A frantic River was standing in the doorway, in contrast to his normal, upbeat and positive demeanor.

"Papa! What's wrong?" Star tilted her head in confusion and stood up, taking her attention off of her and Marco's card game.

"Star, it's your mother... come, quickly dear," he said, his voice exploding with worry. He held his crown in his hand, his bald patch clearly visible.

"Wha?... Does she want to talk to us about what happened to the ball tonight or something?" Star was confused but she walked to the doorway with Marco behind her, following River down the hallway of the castle.

"No, sweet pea. It's something... far worse."

River lead the two teens to he and the queen's bedroom. Star's apprehension grew as she heard terrified screams of agony emanate from behind the door, she knew that could only be coming from one other person, and it terrified her.

Her father opened the door, allowing the two teens to step inside. The distressed screams were obvious now, and they could see clearly who they were coming from.

There in front of them was Queen Moon Butterfly. She was shaking in agony, tears streaming down her face on the ground, clutching her arms. The source of the pain was hidden by her long gloves. Star watched in horror, letting out a sharp gasp as she watched her suffering mother, her eyes filling with tears.

"Mom!" The young princess yelled out as she fell beside her mom, holding her shoulder. "W-what's wrong?"

The queen could hardly speak, the pain was so  
excruciating. In attempt to calm some of the pain, she pulled down one of her gloves to reveal the source of her discomfort. Star's eyes widened, and her pupils contracted.

Moon's arm was lined with enlarged veins, all the way up to her shoulders. The veins were a dark, purple color, and they were sizzling hot to the touch. Star retracted her hand from the scorching hot surface in complete shock.

"...Eclipsa," The queen managed to choke out.


	10. Startled

Everything was calm in the crystal dimension. Rhombulus, whom of which everyone affectionately called the Time Out Guy was playing his video game console.

"Ugh! Stupid hands! Why did I even freeze them in the first place," he said as he tried to press the buttons. It was a rather difficult task, considering the fact that he had frozen snakes for hands.

Rhombulus pointed his head towards the hand, unfreezing his right snake. The now unfrozen snake gasped loudly, breathing in a lungful of fresh air.

"Now! Help me win this game, would ya," the crystal guy pointed his left hand at the snake, causing it to scream.

"Ahh! I come in peace!"

"Help me," he said as he pushed the snake hand to the controller.

"Dude! Could you stop worrying about your stupid game for a minute?!"

Rhombulus bought the snake up to his face and glared at it with his single eye. "Excuse you but  
I went through an ordeal! I was floating around like a balloon for a week straight, and my favorite demon goat is dead now!" He sniffled. "Lekmet... he didn't want to harm anybody!"

The snake hand rolled its eyes as the crystal dude started to sob shards of crystal out of his eye. "Look Rhombulus, I understand that, but something important is going on right now! Can you listen to me for once?"

"What do you know?! You're just a hand! You don't know anything!" He pointed his crystallized hand at the talking snake.

"I know that you should go and check the Mewmans you've froze! I know I'm just a hand, but I have a hunch that something bad is happening right now."

"Shut up!"

Before the snake could make another sound, Rhombulus had in cased it in a large slab of crystal once again. He groaned and rolled his single eye. "Stupid snake for hand. What does he know?"

The time out guy had thought about the thought of Lekmet dying again, which caused him to sob loudly. "Lekmet is dead! He had such a good life, too!" Itty bits of crystal started to decorate the floor.

A few minutes had passed, and a large mountain of crystal tears were on the floor now. Rhombulus had stopped his crying and looked around. Something seemed off in the universe.

"I should really go check the crystal room," he said to himself. He stood up and walked towards the crystallized Mewmans.

It was a fortress of crystals. Creatures of all shapes and sizes, from the smallest pixie to the largest hydra were encased in crystals. He had frozen a lot of organisms over the years he had been alive.

"Well he's still frozen. And that Manticore too. What was snake hand talking about?" Rhombulus was getting angry and frustrated now.

He continued down the crystal forest he had created. He had a hunch that was growing stronger with every step.

He scanned the room, and that's when he noticed. Eclipsa, the Queen of Darkness was no longer crystallized. Bits and pieces of shattered crystal were left in her place.

Rhombulus blinked once. "Oh, that's not good. I should really tell the rest of the High Commission... But what will they say? They'll say my crystal wasn't strong enough to keep her contained! I'll be mocked forever!"

Before the crystal guy could take another step, he blacked out.

"Oh, darling. You won't be telling anybody anything," a female voice chucked.

The woman went over to the vending machine, blasting it with a ball of dark magic, before taking the rest of the Snookers with her, then she teleported out of the room.

* * *

Five minutes had passed. It felt like an eternity. Her mother was suffering and she couldn't do anything about it.

"I'm so sorry Mommy! What's happening? Will you be okay?" Star squeezed her eyes shut, frustrated as she tried to think of a solution. She pulled handfuls of her hair out of her devil horn headband. "Maybe I could try a spell?"

"Moon Pie, do you want me to call witch doctor?" River asked as he watched his suffering wife.

The queen was calmer now, however. She looked at both her daughter and husband, the serious look not leaving her face. "I'm fine the two of you. Thanks for your concern." She got to her feet, groaning from the dark substance flowing through her veins.

"Um, queen? You don't look fine," Marco said, standing behind the distressed Star.

"I'll manage." Moon had turned to her husband. "River dear, could you fetch me a cold compress?"

"Anything for you, darling." And with that, the king had left the room.

Star was confused, terrified. She walked up to her mother as she sat on the edge of the bed. She had a feeling that she knew what was happening to her mother, but she kept her mouth shut. She didn't want to just assume something about a situation that she knew so little about. "Mom... what's going on? Eclipsa? I thought... I thought she was encased in crystal forever?"

"I thought so too, sweetie..." Moon looked at the scars on the both of her arms, exhaling as she looked at both Star and Marco. "She's out there... I know it."

"But how?... I thought that nothing could escape Rhombulus' crystals."

Moon gave a stern look to her daughter. "A pact between two queens is stronger than any crystal."

Star tilted her head. She was still confused. How exactly was Eclipsa able to escape? She shouldn't have been able to. She thought the worse was over when she had destroyed Toffee, but she had a feeling that her serenity would come to an end quicker than she expected.

The queen hesitated for a moment before speaking. "When... I... when I made the deal with Eclipsa for the darkest spell... she wanted me to aim it directly for his heart. She wanted me to kill him... which would... set her free."

The young princess could feel a pit form in her stomach. She was connecting the dots in her head, and she didn't like the answer she was getting.

"When you... destroyed Toffee, you completed the deal. You set her free, Star."

"So... this is my fault?..." She felt hopeless. Her mind was teeming with negative thoughts, and they were consuming her. She didn't feel well. She could feel the room spinning uncontrollably.

"This is why I wanted you to keep you away from Toffee, dear. I knew that this would happen sooner or later, but you wouldn't listen to me... I just wanted to protect you... Don't say that sweetie... nothing is your fault. We will find a way to deal with this," Moon gave a sad smile to her daughter, who had a dead expression on her face. "I promise you."

 _Maybe I should have let Toffee kill me..._

Maybe I should have stayed there with Glossaryk, and ate his stupid magic soup.

Maybe I shouldn't have helped Ludo...

She was silent as thoughts such as these swirled around in her mind. She stared off into space for what seemed like forever. Marco was getting worried and he tapped her shoulder.

"Star? Hey, don't sweat it. Moon will deal with this. There's nothing to worry about. Your granny will be locked up again soon enough. It's not your fault. You did the right thing by blasting that evil lizard guy with your magic."

"It's all my fault. My mom is going to die because of me." The same dead expression that she wore a few minutes before was still there.

"Star," Moon looked at her daughter in concern before standing up to comfort her. "What is the meaning of this? We will solve this issue!"

Star backed up from the two people who were trying to reassure her. She messed up, and she knew it. She hated herself for it. She had to put a stop to this before she hurt anyone else close to her. Why didn't she listen to her mother and Buff Frog when they told her to stay put? She thought she was doing the right thing by facing the problem head on, but it only caused more problems for her, her family, maybe even Marco next.

"Star? Staaaaaar?" A concerned Marco was waving a hand in front of her face. "Snap out of it!"

Star's eyes wandered to her mother. She didn't look well. She could tell that this deal that she made with Eclipsa was taking its toll on her. Sure, she said she would be okay, but the young princess knew in her heart that she wouldn't be if she didn't do something.

Her eyes wandered back to Marco. She had put him in danger so many times. How exactly did he develop feelings for someone like her? It didn't matter, she couldn't let anything else happen to him. She practically put his life and all of Mewni in danger once again.

"Don't worry you guys, I'll put a stop to this. Or die trying, I haven't thought about it yet." And with that, she raced out of the room.

"STAR!" The queen and boy called in unison. They both raced after her. Marco could feel his face warm up as tears started to leak from his eyes. Not again, he couldn't let this happen again.

The blonde had ran down the hall to her room. Marco knew exactly why. Her wand was in there, and she was planning to hunt the dimensions for any sign of Eclipsa.

The kid had managed to catch up to the frantic girl. He ran up to her and grabbed her by the elbow, squeezing her tightly.

"Marco, let go!" Star tried to pull from his grasp, reaching on her night stand for her wand. So close, she almost had it.

"No, I'm not letting you go!" He pulled tighter. She was surprisingly strong despite being a princess. "I'm not losing you again!"

"This is serious! I need to end this! This is my storm! I caused this! Now all of you are in danger! Don't you get it?!"

"You can't go alone, it's too dangerous!" Marco pulled her closer, grabbing her shoulders so that she was facing him. "You'll die if you do this alone!"'

"I destroyed an immortal monster with a single blast from my wand, I think I can handle a 300 year old evil queen." She struggled in Marco's grasp, trying desperately to free herself. "Let go Marco, I'm serious!"

Marco ignored her requests and gently wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into a tight hug. She struggled in his grasp, trying desperately to reach for her wand, but it was no use. She let him hug her, sobbing into his shoulder.

"Let go... let go please..."

"No Star, never."

She pounded his shoulder with her fist a few times. He wouldn't budge. She buried her head into the sleeve of his hoodie, sobbing into it, muffled by the fabric.

Moon rushed in, followed by River. Marco turned his attention to her parents, holding the sobbing Star in his arms. "Don't worry Mr. and Mrs. Butterfly, I got her."

They had frowns on their faces, their sobbing daughter had broke their hearts, especially Moon. Maybe she shouldn't have said that. It caused her upbeat, carefree daughter to worry about her, which she didn't want. Star was losing her childhood innocence fast and it was all because she wanted to show a lizard general who was boss.

"Thank you, Marco, dear..." Moon flashed a weak smile at the boy. "I wouldn't want her facing Eclipsa alone... she is far too powerful... she will make you do things you don't want to do."

And with that, Moon and River both left the two teens alone, confident that Marco could convince their wild, rebellious daughter to second guess her choices.

Marco gently petted Star's hair as sobs wracked her. "How about I stay with you tonight? Would that be okay?"

Star looked up at him and nodded softly.

"Okay..." He loosened his grip on her, his hands softly embracing her waist. "Can I trust you to not try and sneak out while I'm asleep?"

She nodded again.

"Okay, Star..." he gently let go of the princess, who walked over to the bed and quickly laid down. She wasn't saying much, and Marco could understand why and empathize with her. A lot had happened that night.

The boy walked over and laid next to her, getting into the covers. He was still sore and worn down from his fight with Tom, and groaned as he rested on his side, his shoulder propping him up. Star was turned away from him, her hair veiling her body. She was still upset about earlier. Or trying to plan an escape. He wasn't sure.

"Goodnight Star, I love you." Marco rested his head on the pillow, trying to get himself to fall asleep. He shut his eyes, hoping to drift off.

A few minutes passed, he was nearly asleep, but not quite. He was awoken when he felt something snuggle up to him. His eyes opened to see a Star Butterfly curling up next to him. She had a small smile on her face, calmed by Marco's presence. Her arm rested on his shoulder.

He was uncomfortable, he had never really cuddled with a girl before... but this was Star he was with, the girl who had been with him through everything. He gently wrapped his arm around her back, letting her snuggle into his outstretched arm. She was so adorable, it made him smile to see her feeling a little better despite the night's dramatic events.

Within a few minutes, he was fast sleep. The day had really worn the boy out: from fighting Star's ex, to fighting Star herself. He was drained and needed a long rest.

Star was however, wide awake. She couldn't sleep, the negative thoughts were still there, consuming her mind. She couldn't get them to go away. They played on a big movie screen in her brain.

The liquid Toffee forming from the goop. The wild waves. The desperate swimming for the last bit of magic she had left. The goop filling her open mouth and lungs. They all flashed in her mind, magnified by the fact that all of this was her fault. Or at least she thought so.

Her head turned to look at her wand on the night stand. The star-shaped crystal casted a bright light on the wall as it bounced off from the moonlight that shone through the window of her room. She wanted to grab it and go face Eclipsa herself, but she had promised Marco that she wouldn't sneak out... at least not tonight. She'd have to devise a plan... but she couldn't think straight at the moment.

Star gently laid her head into the boy's arm, who was now fast asleep and snoring. Maybe tomorrow would be better, she didn't know what th


	11. The Great Escape

The sunlight seeped through the windows, casting a radiant glow on everything in her room it touched. It was morning, confirmed by the distant crow of a Mewman rooster.

Marco, groggy from yesterday's conflict, reluctantly opened his eyes, sitting up in Star's bed. He pulled his arms over his head, stretching to alleviate the crook in his back. He gently rubbed his eye, yawning. "Good morning Star."

The princess sat on the edge of her bed, her back turned from him. She hadn't slept at all last night. She was up letting her thoughts consume her.

She turned to look at Marco. She had visible bags under her eyes, and the whites of her baby blue eyes were slightly red from crying. Her former best friend gasped softly, frowning. "Oh, you don't look so good."

"You think?... I haven't slept at all..."

The boy crawled over and sat next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Star, I know this situation is tough on you, but it will all come together, don't worry. Your mom will be fine. What's an evil queen to an immortal monster?"

Star raised an eyebrow and tilted her head, confused by Marco's positivity. He had been acting like this a lot lately and it confused her, considering how cautious he was in most situations, being the safe kid and all. "Who put glitter in your cereal?"

"What?"

"Why are you so positive about this? You're never like this."

Marco thought for a minute, then shrugged. She had a point. "I'm just trying to cheer you up, Star. You don't look well, I know you're upset about last night. I mean, back on earth you were always the one to cheer me up. Every situation... you always looked on the bright side. Can't I try and be optimistic for once?"

The blonde flashed him a half smile, standing up and crossing her arms. "Aw, Marco. That's sweet of you."

"I'm sorry I'm not much help," Marco sighed, looking up at her.

"...But I'm still going after Eclipsa."

His eyes widened at the words that came out of her mouth. "Wait what?! Star, no!"

"Yes! Who knows what she can do? She has dark magic for crying out loud. She's slowly killing my mom with her stupid 'deal' or whatever. She married a monster!"

Marco watched Star talk, standing up quickly. He had his eyes on the wand on her nightstand. "Ew, what? ...how do you know all of that?"

"Grandma Room. I went inside my wand," she said, making a gesture with her hands, "I only remember it from when I was a baby, my parents try to keep me out of there."

"You can do that?"

"Oh Marco, I've done a lot of things you don't know about."

He gave the princess a confused look.

"Give me my wand."

"What? No!" Marco quickly moved, blocking her view from the wand, "did you hear anything I told you last night?!"

"Yes, and I don't care. I've already almost died like a bajillion times already, what's one more," Star said nonchalantly, attempting to crane her neck over Marco.

"What's one more... WHAT'S ONE MORE?! Star! You're getting older, you're going to be the next queen soon, you're my girlfriend...! You have to start taking this more seriously!" He gently grabbed her shoulders.

"I am taking this seriously, Marco," she scoffed, "by dealing with this before it gets worse. Next queen? Well, maybe I don't wanna be queen! You ever thought about that? Psssh, I don't blame my granny for running off with her monster love. Maybe she's chill, but I have to get her magic off of my mom."

Marco shook her, shocked at the words that just came out of her mouth. "Star! Are you listening to yourself right now?"

He grabbed the wand off the nightstand, holding it high in the air from Star, who tried to reach over his head to grab it. Marco was slightly taller than her, so it made the task easier. He pushed her down by her head as she waved her arms frantically.

"Give. Me. My wand."

"No young lady, you're grounded."

Star scoffed, and rolled her eyes. "What are you, my dad?"

Marco blinked, trying his best to avoid her inquiry. "...I'm not letting you go and get yourself killed."

"Why aren't you supporting me in this? Why do all of you like avoiding these huge problems so much? What's that gonna do?"

Star folded her arms and mumbled to herself as Marco tucked the wand into his pajama pants pocket. "...Sorry, Star. But when I almost lost you to Toffee... I... I just can't let that happen again. You mean so much to me."

The princess was silent as she looked at her feet, moved by what he just said. Marco stepped closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, careful to keep the wand concealed from her view. "Would some Captain Blanches Sugar Seeds cheer you up?"

She nodded her head as the boy grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to the kitchen.

* * *

Tom the demon was in his bathroom, looking at himself on the mirror. He had a red tuxedo on, with a rose tucked into his pocket. Today was the day he planned to apologize to Star Butterfly.

He screwed the handle on his sink, causing a steady stream of piping hot lava to seep out of the faucet and he splashed it on his face. He was a nervous wreck. What if Star didn't forgive him? What if he caused another fight with Marco? He pondered these questions in his mind as he used his fingers to clean his face, as he was sweating profusely.

"Alright, I'm ready."

Tom had grabbed a towel off the rack, wiping his face down as he walked to his room. He grabbed his phone before throwing the towel on his bed and walking outside.

He had to do this to prove himself to Star. He could change, he knew it in his heart that he could, and he would show her that he could, too.

He walked outside to the carriage, pulled by skeleton horses, and shut the door as it was engulfed in flames, completely disappearing.

* * *

"Star, I'm worried about you. All you ate for the last few days was this sugary cereal," Marco said as he took a sip of his orange juice, "that's not healthy. Have you tried eating fruit and vegetables?"

Star squinted as she stuck her spoon in the bowl, scooping a spoonful of cereal in her mouth. "This is my life now, Diaz."

"...Yeahhhh, I'm not bringing you back any more Sugar Seeds."

Star ignored him, face planting into her bowl of milk and cereal.

The boy took another swig of his orange juice. "Good luck with all those cavities and bad breath."

"I don't care Marco," she said, her voice muffled by the pile of cereal in her bowl.

He smirked as he walked over, gently patting her head. "Look, I'm gonna go change."

Star picked her head up from its spot in her cereal, pieces of it stuck to her face and chin. "You wear the same thing every day, though."

Marco pointed to himself. "Hoodie. Jeans. Sneakers. It's a formula, Star. You don't understand."

She rolled her eyes as she watched him walk up the stairs, smiling to herself. He was so dorky, it was adorable and funny.

She took another bite of her cereal. She had to savor the flavor, because he said he wouldn't bring back anymore for her. Then again, she could steal his dimensional scissors and go get a box herself from one of his hoodies.

Then it clicked.

"Don't think about stealing your wand from me, Star! I'm watching you," he yelled from the top of the steps.

"Ughhhhhh!" She pulled on her cheeks with her hands, rolling her eyes. Stupid safe kid. Lovable, but stupid as well. She had to find a way to get her wand back from him. Her mom was dying... or being corrupted. She could feel it, and she couldn't let it happen. Not on her watch.

"Stupid Eclipsa. Stupid deal. Two-timing safe kid. Getting in the way of my plan... oh I have big plans, I have very big plans... and you won't stop me, safe kid Marco Diaz. Hah."

A knock at the door interrupted her monologue. She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it too early for visitors?"

She got up from her seat at the table and walked to the door, opening it slightly.

"Tom?"

"Star," the demon replied. He dropped to one knee holding a rose in his hand out to her as he horse-drawn carriage disappeared from behind him in a cyclone of flames.

Star gently plucked the rose from his hand and raised an eyebrow. "What are you... doing here? Come to fight with Marco again?"

"Nono, not at all." He picked himself off the ground and dusted his pants off with a hand before fixing his tie. "Look, Star... I really messed up."

"You think?" The young princess crossed her arms. "You embarrassed us in front of everyone at the ball. Our parents, other royal families... all of Mewni, maybe?"

"I know, I know... I'm sorry. I was a huge jerk to you and to Marco. I shouldn't have said those things to him and I shouldn't have... asked you to dance with me."

Star stood at the door, listening to what the demon had to say.

"Look Star... I still love you... like a lot. I love you and... I can't get over you no matter what I do..."

"Tom, I don't want to date you again. I moved on, and you should too... I don't think we'll ever get back together... not after what you did to me..."

Tom hung his head low. He could feel the tears forming in his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak again, his voice cracking. "I know... I know. I tried to bond our souls at the Blood Moon Ball to make you mine... I got angry at stupid things and I hurt you one time, really badly... I'm trying to change Star, for you... I really am."

Star looked behind her, clearly uncomfortable form the demon's testimony. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Tom... it's over..."

"I know it's over!" He raised his voice slightly, causing Star to flinch in fear. He looked at her, wincing. "...I uh... sorry. Look, I'm trying my best to change... I know we may never date again, but... can we at least be good friends?... I'm so sorry, Starshi... Star. My jealousy got the best of me..."

Star looked at him. She could see the sincerity in his eyes. He frowned at her, looking at her with a sad expression. She could tell he was being honest. Even though she felt like they were better off as friends, she commended him for trying to change for the better. It made her happy considering he had always had problems with his temper.

"Awwwh, come here..." The princess smiled and wrapped her arms around the demon, hugging him close which caused him to flinch. He didn't know what to do, but he hugged her back, smiling widely.

"Thanks, Star."

"Star? I thought about it and... Star? What is HE doing here?"

The two hugging teens had let go of each other. Marco was standing behind the princess, and he didn't look too happy.

"Marco! He just came to apologize about the ball and stuff." She flashed a grin at him, looking back at Tom who had a look of worry plastered on his face.

"Uhhh yeah, she's right."

The kid had stepped in front of Star, getting up in the demon's face. He was much calmer now, in contrast to his short temper at the ball. His therapy sessions had been helping. "You better not be trying anything with her, you got that?"

"Dude, I swear I just dropped by to apologize to the both of you."

His statement caused Marco's expression to soften.

"Marco... Earth turd... whatever your name is, look, I'm sorry."

"Go away..." Marco spat. Star looked at him in surprise.

"Marco, he-"

"Get away from here."

"..Alright dude, sorry to bother the both of you." And with that, the demon summoned his skeleton horse-drawn carriage and dispersed into the flames. Marco pulled Star inside and slammed the castle door shut.

"Marco! What was that? He came to apologize to us."

"That's what he always says... 'oh I'm taking therapy lessons now with fluffy pink bunnies!' Then the next minute he's having another one of his meltdowns. He never changes." He started to walk away from her and he sat at the table, followed by a confused Star Butterfly.

"He seemed honest this time, I could feel it," she said as she sat in the seat next to him.

"Since when are you so trusting, miss rebel princess? Why are you defending him?"

She stammered, trying to form a coherent sentence. "I... um... look, the guy came to apologize, could you at least commend him for that? He could have held a grudge but noooo, he came all the way from the Underworld to say sorry."

"I still don't trust him Star, that's final."

Star gave him an irritated look. "What is with you? First you grab me when I'm trying to face off Eclipsa, then you take my wand, and now you slam the door in Tom's face. What's your problem?"

"Uhh I don't know, Star... maybe I'm trying to protect you like a good boyfriend should?"

She thought about retorting his statement with her usual 'I can do things by myself' claim, but stayed silent.

"I just... I care about you... I want to keep you safe like you have for me for the short time we have known each other."

"I know, Marco..." but sometimes if you love someone, you have to set them free, she said to herself in her mind.

She leaned over and pecked him on the cheek with her lips, causing him to blush. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her for a short time before letting go.

"How about we play another board game and try and forget about all this?"

She smiled at the boy. "Sounds great."

* * *

It was now late into the evening, and Star and Marco had been playing board games since early noon. It was dark outside, and the stars twinkled brightly in the night sky.

Star, while she had fun hanging out with her boyfriend, while diligently planning her Great Escape in her mind. She hated to betrayed his trust like his, but she had to do what she felt was right.

Marco stood up, letting out a big yawn as he stretched, careful not to irritate his injuries. "Alright Star, that's enough fun for now... even though I won like one time."

"Okay!" She stood up and happily got into her bed.

The kid bent down and started to pick up the game, surprised at Star's enthusiasm to go to bed. "You seem happy to go to bed today."

"Yeah...! Umm... it's just I haven't got any sleep  
The night before and I'm really, really tired." She wasn't lying, she was exhausted.

"Oh, right. You must be." Marco placed the game on her shelf and walked over to the bed. "I'll sleep in your room again if you want, Star. I don't want you haven't another one of those meltdowns or nightmares..."

"That would be great. Thanks Marco," she said with a smile, pulling up the covers to her chin. Why couldn't he sleep already? Hurry up, she had a mission to complete.

The kid pulled back the covers, climbing in with the princess. He laid a distance away from her, but enough to reach his arm over and touch her. He gently reached over and ran a hand over her heart-stamped cheek as she laid her head into the fluffy pillow. "Goodnight Star..."

"Goodnight Marco, I love you."

"I love you too."

Star closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep, she could hear him say "She must be so tired" in the silence. The only thing that could be heard was the rustling of the sheets and the sounds of their heartbeats.

A few minutes passed, and Star could hear soft snoring. Marco was fast sleep. This was her chance.

The rebel princess shifted out of her spot in her bed, standing up. She tip-toed over to the left side of the bed where her boyfriend lay sound sleep. She reached in the covers, feeling around him for her wand. Marco was a really heavy sleeper, so he didn't notice a thing.

Her hand felt something hard and cold. It was her wand. Bingo.

She pulled out her wand, eyeing it closely. It was so cute. The little horns and butterfly wings. She smiled and cupped it in her hand. It was only a day but it felt like she had been parted from it for like a year.

Star walked over to the window and opened it, this was her chance. She looked back at the sleeping Marco, sighing softly under her breath.

His hoodie was on the floor. He had taken it off earlier when their game had gotten intense.

She leaned down and picked it up from  
The ground, throwing the hood over her head and tying it securely around her neck. She was ready now.

"I'm sorry, Marco... I love you. I promise it won't be for long," she whispered.

And with that, she pulled herself though the window, landing on top of the roof of the castle, before sliding down it to the ground. She ran swiftly within the midst of night.


	12. Missing Star

Marco Diaz opened his eyes, the sun shining through the window awakening him from his slumber. It was the crack of dawn, as signified by the peek of the rising sun just starting to break through the rolling hills of Mewni.

He felt... cold. Was there a draft in Star's room before, he thought to himself as he rolled over. He tiredly reached over the other side of her bed to touch his sleeping girlfriend, but all he felt was cold, overturned sheets.

"Good morning, St... Star?"

He pulled back the covers to find nothing. No Star was here, which made his heart jump out of his chest.

She couldn't be gone. She just couldn't be. His denial started to take over. "Maybe she's in the bathroom freshening up, yeah, that's it." He smiled, even though he knew that wasn't the case as he turned he head to look at the open window. The curtains blew in the breeze.

Marco got up from his spot in the bed to investigate. His hoodie was nowhere to be found, which was odd because he remembered leaving it here the night before. It didn't matter too much to him as he had 11 more pairs of the same red hoodie. He went over to the futon by her window to find scattered strands of long blonde hair littering it. His heart sank in his chest as he slid to his knees and hung his head low. A tear rolled down his cheek, followed by a stream coming from both sides of his face.

She was gone.

He clenched his trembling fist, wanting to punch himself in the face. He had failed. All he wanted to do was protect her, to be her guidance, and he couldn't even do that correctly. She was gone, leaving an open window in her wake to go battle some evil queen and probably die trying.

I'm so stupid... I don't deserve someone as amazing as Star... I can't even keep her out of trouble for one measly night, he told himself as he held his head in his hands. He had lost her once again like a slippery bar of soap. He tried his hardest to be a good boyfriend to her after his failed relationship with Jackie, and failed once again. He promised to treat Star better, to keep her safe, but it all blew up in his face. Maybe he wasn't meant to be in a relationship.

He sat at the edge of the window, his hair blowing in the breeze. The chilly air made his tears cold as they rolled down his cheeks to the ground.

"G-Goodbye, Star..."

* * *

"Now where would a 300 year old queen hide?"

Star was trekking through the forest, using her wand as a flashlight to illuminate the dark terrain. She had to find this evil queen, battle her, and go back home. She wanted to squash this situation as fast as it popped up. She didn't want this to turn out like Toffee: avoiding the problem until it grew into something far worse than she could ever imagine.

She was awesome. She morphed into her compromised Mewberty form, and with a single blast from her wand, she managed to turn the immortal lizard into a trembling pile of goop. If she could do that, then her great great great grandmother shouldn't be an issue at all. She smiled to herself at the thought.

It was cold, really cold. Star could feel goosebumps forming on her arms and the rest of her body. The wind was kicking up, making the air seem colder. She shivered as she pulled the red hoodie around her tighter. She was so exhausted, she could hardly keep this pace. Her lack of sleep made her head pound, and her mind wander, but she had to keep going. For Mewni. For her mother. For... Marco.

Her mind clicked. "Maybe I should... check the crystal dimension... my mom said something about her being trapped in crystal in her story... so maybe she's still there..."

But there was one problem. She had no dimensional scissors. She cursed to herself. She should have took Marco's, but secretly in the back of her mind, she knew if she did that he couldn't come and rescue her, which she wanted to happen. "Ugh... corn. Okay... well, that's going to be a huge problem."

Star went and sat under a tree, placing her wand next to her to provide her shivering body with a little warmth. The sky was becoming a brilliant shade of red as the sun climbed higher into the sky. She had to think... who had dimensional scissors?

"Okay Star, think..." she said to herself as she tapped her fingers on the ground. These were all the people she knew had scissors: First, there was Pony Head. But those weren't her scissors. She stole them, and she ended up having to give them back to Hekapoo, the wielder of all dimensional scissors. Then there was Hekapoo herself. Maybe she could lend her a pair... wait, nope. She was in another dimension, and if she found out that the future queen of Mewni was putting her life in jeopardy again, she wouldn't be too happy about it. There was Buff Frog... who's mud hut wasn't too far from where she was. But he would do the same... There was Marco... who was already crossed off the list... oh, Marco... her mind started to wander off again.

Oh, how she desperately wanted to be in his arms right now... him holding her close, protecting her from the merciless Mewman weather. In the break of morning. She missed it already, and she wanted it back so much.

She pulled out her phone and opened the lid, looking at her wallpaper. It was a picture of them when they were back on Earth, before they confessed their feelings to each other. They were making funny faces into Marco's camera, and she asked him if he could text the picture to her in order for her to use it as wallpaper. This was one of the first selfies they had even taken together. Oh, Earth. He had taught her so much about it. How carefree it was there compared to Mewni. On earth there wasn't a threat of evil every second of the day. She desperately wanted to go back. She had made so many memories there. She wanted to experience it all over again.

Star smiled at the picture. She wanted to go back with him, but she knew in her heart that she had to complete this mission. She couldn't let Eclipsa get too powerful... she couldn't let her harm her mom, dad, or Marco.

She could feel her eyelids drooping. She was so tired; she couldn't keep them open.

"Maybe I'll just... rest my eyes... here..." and before she knew it, she was asleep on the ground, in the middle of the forest, vulnerable to any creature who happened to lurk in its shadows.

* * *

What seemed like an hour passed by, and Marco was still there mourning Star's departure. He couldn't bring himself to move, his mind was being overtaken by sadness.

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid_ , Marco repeated in his brain. How could Star do this to him? Put him through this situation once again. He knew it wasn't her fault at all, but it hurt so bad. He just wanted a summer without someone threatening to ruin it again, but it looked like that wouldn't be happening any time soon.

He finally picked himself up from the ground, his knees weak and wobbly. He had to let her parents know. They had to find her, they just had to.

Moon and River were sitting at the table, talking over breakfast when they were rudely interrupted by the disheveled Marco.

Moon gasped at the boy, placing a hand over her mouth. "Marco, dear... what ever is the matter?"

"Yeah my boy, you don't look to good," River said.

Marco held his breath as more tears started to dapple his cheeks. He shut his eyes and gulped, struggling to get the to come out. "Star... she's... she's gone..."

"No..." Moon said, tearing up as well.

"Are you sure she's gone, boy? Maybe she's out fighting monsters like she always used to do before we sent her to Earth. She's quite the adventurous girl, ya see," River said, trying to stay optimistic about the whole situation.

"Yes River... I'm sure she's gone... the window in her room was open. She took my hoodie... she probably went to go look for Eclipsa..." Marco choked on his tears.

Moon's heart practically leaped from her chest. The thought of her daughter's life being in danger once again was enough to make her sob. Her daughter came first in every circumstance, and all she wanted for her was to be safe. But now, she was gone, and they needed to find her.

"So our shining Star is missing?..." the king could feel the tears starting the form. He was a positive soul, but he felt hopeless from Marco's frank news.

"River dear, I'm going to need for you to look after the castle. I need to find my daughter and put an end to this..." Moon said as she stood up from the table. The veins on her arm began to sizzle, causing her to clutch it in pain.

"Moon, are you sure you're well enough to do this?" Marco looked at the queen in worry.

"Ahh... of course I am. But I'm not the one we should be worried about. Star is in danger. Who know's what Eclipsa could be doing to her? We must find her quickly," Moon said, "Pack your bags, you're coming with me Marco."

Marco sighed, nodding his head. "I have dimensional scissors. They should come in handy where we're headed."

"How did you get dimensional scissors, Marco?" Moon was surprised to see the blue-handled, stainless steel scissors in the boy's hand.

"That's a long story, come on, we have no time to waste!"

The queen quickly ran to her bedroom, she was going to need her battle armor once again.

* * *

Star started to awake from her sleep. She felt recharged and well-rested. She hadn't slept like that in ages; she was used to having a steady stream of nightmares about her ordeal with Toffee, but this time, that didn't occur. She had a rather nice dream about life back on Earth while living with the Diaz family and Marco, and how much she missed it. It made her smile as she began to awaken.

She took a sniff of Marco's hoodie sleeve. It didn't smell too pleasant, but it was the closest thing to being with him right now. Her hand grasped the ground beneath her, but she ended up grabbing... sheets?

All she bought with her was her cellphone, Marco's hoodie, and her wand. Where did these sheets come from?

Star quickly opened her eyes. This didn't look at all like the place she drifted off at. She was no longer cold, and she could hear the crackling of a fire place.

Her eyes wandered around her surroundings. It was a rundown log cabin, but it was surprisingly tidied up for a shack in the middle of the woods, however, there wasn't much furniture, other than the mattress she was asleep on and a table across the room.

How did she get here, Star pondered. She didn't know why or how she was here, but she felt thankful because she could have died out there from a monster attack or hypothermia.

She heard dainty footsteps slowly getting closer, and drew her wand to her chest. "Who are you? Don't make me Narwhal Blast you! I know it sounds cute, but it hurts really bad, trust me."

"Hello, Star Butterfly dear," a female voice said.


	13. A Princess and a Queen

"Oh, you're finally awake princess. You've been asleep for a while there," the mysterious woman giggled, placing her glove-covered hand over her mouth. "I may be 'evil' as they say, but I am not completely heartless."

"Eclipsa?..." Star's mouth hung open as she stared upon her ancestor in awe.

"I guess you could call me that, dear. But I prefer the title of Queen of Darkness."

The princess kept her wand drawn to her as she raised an eyebrow, sitting up in the bed cautiously. She was an evil queen after all, or so she thought. Who knew what she was capable of? "How do you know my name? You've been trapped in crystal for hundreds of years."

Eclipsa rolled her eyes at the thought. "That's not of your concern, Star Butterfly. But since you are curious, it was pretty obvious. You have the mark of a Butterfly on your cheeks," The queen began, referring to Star's cheek marks, "Yeah, it would not have been so long if Moon had completed the deal when given the opportunity. But, she did not. She is awful at following directions."

Star could feel the anger rising in her as the mention of her mother rolled off of the dark queen's tongue.

"All she had to do was aim the spell directly at his heart, but she missed and took his finger instead. She lied to me. I could have been free 20 years ago if she had just followed my simple ransom."

The queen's rant was silenced as she felt a pressure form on her chest. Star had put her wand to the queen's chest, and it was heating up as she was close to blasting the queen away any second now. "Okay, give it up granny! You leave my mother alone or I will blast you away, and I can bet you don't want- woahhhh!"

The princess felt her feet leave the ground, and her eyes wandered below. Eclipsa's cheek spades were glowing as she used her hand to levitate her off the ground. She was practically useless against her powerful magic. "Oh, how cute. You think a simple Narwhal Blast is enough to defeat me. That is basic magic, darling. I was doing magic like that when I was 10, and I was doing magic powerful enough to destroy dimensions when I was your age."

With a flick of her hand, Star was thrown into a wall. The princess let out a groan as her back slammed against the wall. The queen of darkness smirked.

Star groaned in pain, her anger reaching its peak. "I'm sorry, have you forgotten who I am?" She got onto her feat, charging towards the queen, her wand heating up once again.

With a wave of her hand, the queen threw Star into a spiral, throwing her to the wall again. She let out a slight chuckle. "You are not special, darling. There are quite of handful of Butterflys who are more special than you, me being one of them."

Star was weak, her back was hurting now. She tumbled on the floor, clutching her side as the queen's heels clicked on the hardwood floor over to her. She kneeled down to get a better look at the injured girl. "I am quite sorry, I may have been a little rough with you." Her hand reached out to touch the hoodie tied around Star's neck, but she quickly jerked it away.

"Don't touch that!"

"Why are you wearing such a drab thing?"

"It's my...boy...best friend's... hoodie... I had to leave him and this is the only thing I have left of him!"

The queen's look softened. That statement had reminded her of something quite important. "Oh... well, is that sweet, is it not? I had someone I used to love, but he is gone now."

Star got up from the ground and gently patted the dust off of her dress, eyeing the queen as she went to the table and sat down, propping her head up with her hand. The princess knew who she was referring to, being in her wand and all and reading her tapestry. "What do you mean gone?..."

"My husband. He was put to death for simply being a different species than I."

* * *

Marco frantically packed his backpack, he didn't take much; he grabbed a few spare hoodies and stuffed them in, along with some snacks and a change of pants. His mind was focused on one thing right now, and that was Star. Where was she? Was she safe?

He threw the backpack over his back and grabbed his cellphone as he left his room, shutting the door softly behind him.

He made his way to Star's bedroom and softly peeked his head inside. He didn't know what bought him to think she was in there, but he checked anyway to see that is was still empty. He let out a soft sigh as he walked in quietly, scanning the room. No Star, of course.

He shut the door and made his way down the steps, pulling out his cellphone to look at the wallpaper which was obviously a picture of the two teens. It made him smile, but also sad due to the fact that he may not see her again, ever. Star was a tough girl, but this may be too much for her to handle.

Moon pressed her hand to the closet, causing it to open its doors. Her battle armor glimmered as the doors parted, unveiling it in all its glory. She never thought she would be wearing it again, especially this soon.

After putting it on, she was ready to take on whatever problems she may face. She slowly placed the crown on her head after braiding her long, blue-gray hair. She was ready.

After making her way outside with Marco, she knew the first place that she should look, and that was the crystal dimension: where all prisoners of Mewni are kept in stasis, trapped in crystal for centuries.

"Stay safe, my darling and Marco." River said grimly. He was bummed out to have his wife leaving again so soon.

Marco turned to the king. "Don't worry, River. We'll be fine. I hope."

Moon sighed at her husband, then turned to face Marco. "Marco dear, do you have your scissors?"

The boy nodded as he dug around in his hoodie pocket, pulling out his very own pair of dimensional scissors. "Yep. Where are we going, your highness?"

"Well, first, we have to check if Eclipsa has truly escaped. It could be my arms playing tricks on me," the queen said, eying her pulsating veins closely.

Marco nodded as he tore open a dimensional rift. "Got it. I think I've been there before, but I don't really remember." He raised an eyebrow as he thought about the time when Star stole his cereal.

Moon stepped though, grabbing Marco as the portal closed.

* * *

"Ah, that's got to be terrible," Star said, feeling slightly sympathetic towards the queen of darkness. "I know what it feels like to lose somebody close to you..."

"Have a seat dear, and I will tell you all about it." Eclipsa snapped her fingers, levitating Star over to a seat across from her, dropping her in it.

The princess crossed her arms. "I know your plan, and it's not going to work. You're going to tell your sob story...'oh boo hoo' and expect me to feel bad for you. Well, you can't fool me," she turned away from the queen in disgust. "I'm not stupid like my mom. Well, my mom isn't stupid, but I'm not easily persuaded like her. I can see right through you, grandma." Star pointed two fingers at her eyes.

The queen held out a candy bar to the princess. "Snookers?"

"I don't want your Snookers," Star spat, knocking the candy bar out of her hand, "now tell me what you want with my mother, and why you're hurting her like this!"

Eclipsa frowned at the opened candy bar on the floor. "That was my last Snooker." She sighed and picked it up off the floor, taking a bite of it anyway. Her face was done up in a smile as she savored the flavor. "Now, princess... imagine being a queen..."

"I would rather imagine something less stressful," Star interjected.

"Star Butterfly, would you listen to me for one second?" Eclipsa was getting slightly irritated. She slammed her fist on the table, causing the princess to recoil in surprise. "This is why I turned vengeful, you Mewmans think you are so much better than everyone else!"

Star felt slightly offended and scoffed at her comment. Better than everyone else? She thought the same. Mewmans were pretty stuck up, and she didn't want to deal with ruling over them herself. "Okay, sorry..."

"Now... imagine being a queen... you had it all: a castle, a husband who loved you, and a kingdom to call your own... and just like that, it was taken away from you. That is what happened to me, Star Butterfly. Mewmans feared my husband. All they saw in him was a vicious, blood-thirsty monster, but I saw was a kind, caring individual who would do anything for me. He was put to death, right in front of my eyes, you see. His head was sliced off of his body by guillotine." The queen choked on her tears a bit.

The princess couldn't help but to feel sympathetic towards the women. Her look softened a little as the queen let out a soft sob.

"My hatred grew and grew... and I took it out in my spells. I wrote all of these dark spells in my chapter of the Magic Book of Spells. Mewni started to fear my magic, even Glossaryk started to lose trust in me... he got Rhombulus to encase me in crystal, and then he told all of Mewni that I had fled... but I had not. I was trapped... my reign was ceased too soon."

Star frowned... okay, she was starting to feel bad for the queen now. Banished for being different? People losing trust and faith in her? Losing someone close? It all hit too close to home. "I know the feeling, Eclipsa. I was misunderstood too... my parents wanted me to be this perfect little princess, but that wasn't... me. So they sent me to another dimension against my will. They didn't want to deal with me anymore, they said I was reckless, irresponsible. It was lonely. I didn't know any of that Earth stuff. Sure, it wasn't as bad as being encased in crystal for hundreds of years, but it did get lonely for a while."

She was starting to second guess her first impression. Maybe this evil queen wasn't as evil as she first thought. Eclipsa nodded at Star's attempt to understand her situation.

Star continued her monologue. "Especially when my best friend at the time discarded me to be with his crush. I thought I was being nice by hooking them up, but it all came back to haunt me. He didn't want to hang out with me anymore. All he wanted to do was hang with his crush... I know he didn't mean for this to happen, but it hurt so bad. I felt like the third wheel; isolated, hurt... betrayed. Even jealous."

Eclipsa's look softened at the young princess. "You remind me a lot of myself when I was your age, dear."

The blonde stood up from her seat to look at the dark queen. "So what I am trying to say, is that I understand, Eclipsa. I know what it feels like to be isolated, betrayed, hurt... but taking out your anger on others isn't the way to go."

"Excellent," the queen smiled.


End file.
